question for miles

just wondered if you are happy with how the launch of this game has gone?

Expect some feedback next week.

If it wasn't for DRM the forum would look very different.

nice to see that miles is on here talking to the customers who are so frustrated as well as trying to get the game working for everyone must be just as stressful for the team at SI as it is for customers.

although very unhappy with the game i can't help but have respect for you for replying. thanks miles

although very unhappy with the game i can't help but have respect for you for replying. thanks miles

yeah thanks for the info. hope this is resolved for next year`s release.

Must say that the people at SI/SEGA have impressed me a lot the last days. Had a little problem authenticating, but a quick read on the forum resolved it. Can only imagine the frustration at HQ when things didn't work out as expected. A big thank you to SI/SEGA for your help and honesty the last days.

The bad thing is my social life is going to suffer for the next weeks. :-)

thank you miles i can see you have been busy helping us all.

There will be a full statement on Monday about the issues faced - I was hoping it was going to be at the weekend, but we (SI & SEGA) want to do it properly.

I have a lot more of the "facts" than most on here, for both the negatives and the positives (and although you wouldn't believe it from the forums, there have been some positives too!).

No one should have suffered in the way they did yesterday when they couldn't authenticate the game - both myself and Paul Collyer have already apologised for that, as have SEGA. That part of it I am obviously very unhappy with, and I would have been just as angry as many of those on the forums that posted.

But, as I've said many many times, our priority at the moment is to get people and up and running, playing the game. SEGA are currently working on a new customer service system for those that are still having issues as some people are getting lost in the noise.

More news on that when I have it - SEGA are working on it now...

Im sorry miles but what sort of a tone is that? You have more facts? thats been said in quite a high horse sort of way do you not think? why dont you share some facts with the community who have been demanding answers. I bought the game yesterday but luckily didnt break the seal after reading the chaos on here.

You mention an appology yet I see none? where is it stickied on the forums? where is an appology on the main football website. Im extremely angry and upset with the failings of SI, SEGA, Steam, Kettle or whoever was responsible for this mess. I dont see why a preliminary statement cannot be constructed now before more 'facts' are divulged later. You only have to look at the amazon reviews for FM2009 to know that there are tonnes of people upset who probably do not visit the forums and yet there is no official appology linked to anywhere; why?

Im sorry miles but what sort of a tone is that? You have more facts? thats been said in quite a high horse sort of way do you not think? why dont you share some facts with the community who have been demanding answers. I bought the game yesterday but luckily didnt break the seal after reading the chaos on here.

You mention an appology yet I see none? where is it stickied on the forums? where is an appology on the main football website. Im extremely angry and upset with the failings of SI, SEGA, Steam, Kettle or whoever was responsible for this mess. I dont see why a preliminary statement cannot be constructed now before more 'facts' are divulged later. You only have to look at the amazon reviews for FM2009 to know that there are tonnes of people upset who probably do not visit the forums and yet there is no official appology linked to anywhere; why?

How can you complain if you have not even opened your copy of the game and tried it yet?

Your going by what people are saying on here.

How can you complain if you have not even opened your copy of the game and tried it yet?

Your going by what people are saying on here.

A prudent choice tbf

I have a lot more of the "facts" than most on here, for both the negatives and the positives (and although you wouldn't believe it from the forums, there have been some positives too!).

Miles, I think some of the abuse directed at you personally has been disgusting and a gross overreaction. But I have to offer you some friendly advice on the quoted paragraph. One downside of having such an active and committed community is that problems tend to be magnified a hundredfold on the forums, that's true. But the sheer volume of users experiencing problems is completely, completely beyond the acceptable parameters for a major release, regardless of how you spin it. Moreover, the fact that it occurred (as anticipated by the world and his wife) due to an unwanted and unnecessary activation system which you were repeatedly counselled against implementing makes matters worse. Snide comments like the above are only going to inflame the situation. Now is the time for wolfing down humble pie, however much you might want to mitigate yesterday's debacle (and the simple fact is that most users don't care what the problem was; there was a massive failure at corporate or affiliate level and that is just unacceptable.)

As I said, SI continue to have my full support and it only took me about ten minutes to get my game authenticated (although I haven't got the editor working yet, and won't be playing till I do.) But please, a bit of humility. Hold your hands up and no-one will hold it against you.

I think the disaster that was this release is fairly obvious. Playing or not playing.

And tbh the "positives" mentioned above, whatever they are, are surely a bit irrelevant at this point in time because of the troubles a very large number of customers have had in even getting the thing they paid for to work. Which - as said himself - is the main focus right now, and rightly so.

So throwing them into an explanation/apology seems unnecessary and will probably annoy those who are sat there with a non-working FM even more.

please explain to me what would the point be of breaking the seal on a copy (thus eliminating refund rights) to attempt to install when it is clearly documented that a significant percentage of the community (and others who dont post here) are having repeated problems trying to install and authenticate. And since the forums are packed with information i think i have every right to base a decision not to open the game from here. When i can be assured that the problems are sorted then i'll attempt to install. or is this being silly?

Respect Miles. I still don't have the game but I can see why a lot of people are a bit hacked off. Mine should hopefully arrive on Monday or Tuesday when hopefully the problems have been ironed out

please explain to me what would the point be of breaking the seal on a copy (thus eliminating refund rights) to attempt to install when it is clearly documented that a significant percentage of the community (and others who dont post here) are having repeated problems trying to install and authenticate. And since the forums are packed with information i think i have every right to base a decision not to open the game from here. When i can be assured that the problems are sorted then i'll attempt to install. or is this being silly?

For the last time: retailers have to refund you if a game is faulty, whether you have opened it or not. According to all the major high-street chains, FM09 is faulty (at least this weekend it is) and they are offering full refunds.

Wow, you get a personal explanation from the CEO himself and still whinge about it not being grovelling enough?

What kind of world do you live in ffs??

Have to say I was spitting yesterday, very very angry. But everything went smoothly when I installed it through Steam this morning. Playing and enjoying as we speak. Just one question, am I able to play offline? Would seem silly if because internet goes down, I am unable to play. Should I install differently? The game is good, and match engine playing the best since FM07 if not better. The people of SI have been big enough to take all the angry posts (inc. mine) yesterday and today. I think now I can play the game, they deserve the congratulations for possibly the best FM so far.

who mentioned grovelling

by all accounts far improved from the demo anyway, so wp on that.

Wow, you get a personal explanation from the CEO himself and still whinge about it not being grovelling enough?

What kind of world do you live in ffs??

Exactly. I think the world has gone mad. Next people will be expecting a hotline to Gordon Brown because they pay taxes. I'm ging to say it YET again, people, get a grip. And a sense of perspective.

btw Miles,do you have numbers from sells this first 48 hours across Europe and UK?how would you compare to last years?

i would love to know how you can spin anything into a 'positive' from yesterday

It amazes me SI continue to interact with us on the forums, if the forums are an indication of the community, then a good % have mental issues.

SI/STEAM/SEGA know they screwed up, but in the grand scheme of things i lost 4 hours of play time , but now im playing the best Fm (imho) to date.

My brother just left my house, had a little look at me playing FM and left to buy a copy on the way home, he is oblivious to yesterdays problems, they wont affect him in anyway , some people hear think they are the voice of the people, and that they represent the "true Fm fan" this couldn't be further from the truth.

I bet the good news is SI saw their best day 1 sales in years

Wow, you get a personal explanation from the CEO himself and still whinge about it not being grovelling enough?

What kind of world do you live in ffs??

Don't be silly, no-one wants anyone to grovel. I don't want to put words in people's mouths, but I think the concern about Miles's post is along the lines of, "If the top brass thinks what happened yesterday was in any tiny way positive, what hope does that give us for future support and future releases?" However, I can only imagine the kind of hours everyone at SI has put in over the past few days and I can appreciate the frustration they must feel, so I wouldn't hold it against them long-term.

By the way, got the editor working with .net framework SP 1, as someone helpfully suggested. Maybe we could get that stickied.

And you have to be pretty foolish to believe all the reviews on Amazon anyway. A few people gave in 5 out of 5 before the demo was released.

Miles are you afraid this activation thing is going to affect the game sales?

will the activation process be gone next year or will you use better companies or set up your own activation mode

Miles, as I said, I'm very much an SI loyalist and I really believe you want the game to be the best it can, and to give value for money. Everyone makes mistakes though, and I hope on frank reflection the current DRM system will be seen as one and not repeated. Only played around with it briefly but the game itself looks superb and a new high in the series.

I agree with you LewisQ,this game is very good indeed,it's worth the money,and it reminds me when cm4 came out,it was revolutionary too as this one...Miles we know you're having a hard time dealing with all this negative coments about activation,DRM,game issues but you,SI and SEGA will know how to manage all this...

Firstly Miles, i take my hat off to you for responding..

I have a good idea what this statement will read on monday, "the servers crashed the phone lines died" and so on, this should have been tested and ready for the demand they were about to be put under, why were they not ? Why do SI release a game that needs patching from day one? why cant you release a finished game? year after year the new games are released with bugs and problems causing these kind of threads every year.

£££

Firstly Miles, i take my hat off to you for responding..

I have a good idea what this statement will read on monday, "the servers crashed the phone lines died" and so on, this should have been tested and ready for the demand they were about to be put under, why were they not ? Why do SI release a game that needs patching from day one? why cant you release a finished game? year after year the new games are released with bugs and problems causing these kind of threads every year.

£££

Because if they waited another 2 weeks to update without a patch this board would be full of people like yourselfs complaining of the late release they just can't win.

remember when SEGA weren't the shambles they have become today? Its a pathetic downfall for them, and sad for us having to deal with them.

Im sorry miles but what sort of a tone is that? You have more facts? thats been said in quite a high horse sort of way do you not think? why dont you share some facts with the community who have been demanding answers. I bought the game yesterday but luckily didnt break the seal after reading the chaos on here.

You mention an appology yet I see none? where is it stickied on the forums? where is an appology on the main football website. Im extremely angry and upset with the failings of SI, SEGA, Steam, Kettle or whoever was responsible for this mess. I dont see why a preliminary statement cannot be constructed now before more 'facts' are divulged later. You only have to look at the amazon reviews for FM2009 to know that there are tonnes of people upset who probably do not visit the forums and yet there is no official appology linked to anywhere; why?

I'm surprised you only have one infraction the way you and your clique constantly flamebait SI staff, Miles in particular.

If you read the forums properly, like you said you do, you would know that plenty more people are now playing the game than not playing.

Maybe you should go back to your own little forum and trash on Miles more there insted of bringing your over the top

, unhelpful, disrespectful bile here.

Miles - I saw both yours and Paul's apology yesterday, aswell as another staff members post saying he was embarressed by the situation, I will wait until Monday when you have given us the facts until I make a final judgement on this whole situation.

Because if they waited another 2 weeks to update without a patch this board would be full of people like yourselfs complaining of the late release they just can't win.

I couldnt have put it better myself.

At least SI have put out the patch, something alot of companies dont do, and ON release day, which is even better.

I think some of you dont realise that the game is sent to be pressed/packaged a minimum of a week before release, too late for some of the bugs to be ironed out, so it is commendable the lengths SI have taken, and to some extent SEGA aswell, with their representative here overnight insted of going home.

What a stupid question....of course he isn't. Lets face it, he only wants everyone who buys the game to play it and enjoy it. He never wanted any of this!

LewisQ - I was asked a question, and I answered it honestly. It would have been spin if I answered it differently to the way that I did.

For the vast majority of users, the authentication system is now working fine. It has been apart from for a few hours yesterday afternoon, for which I, SEGA and Paul have already apologised on here, and SEGA via a press release. I've also stated "That part of it I am obviously very unhappy with, and I would have been just as angry as many of those on the forums that posted.". When we release the statement on Monday, you'll find out what the combination of problems were, and can judge us at that point.

The percentage of people who are having problems (apart from for for those hours yesterday afternoon/early evening) is very small compared to those that are playing. That is of little consequence to those who cannot play, which is why I stated "But, as I've said many many times, our priority at the moment is to get people and up and running, playing the game".

Ricky18 - I have a fair idea. Or, rather, I have a fair idea about how many people have successfully authenticated. And that is higher than the total sales number for the first weekend last year, even though the weekend isn't over yet.

Game is seriously brilliant.

FINALLY I actually HAVE To concern myself wth tactics during matches instead of just setting one and let the match run its course.

Now I have to constantly tweak it during the match to get my results.

Brilliant

can't wait til that statement monday. Miles theguys at uniloc need to do some sucking up, if i were you i'd go elsewhere if we're gonna keep the DRM next year

What a stupid question....of course he isn't. Lets face it, he only wants everyone who buys the game to play it and enjoy it. He never wanted any of this!

the question got a response and it was only posted because i knew he was online.

Because if they waited another 2 weeks to update without a patch this board would be full of people like yourselfs complaining of the late release they just can't win.

people LIKE ME would like a game that they can play the moment they buy it and not have to wait untill a patch is downloaded....the game is unfinished mate yet again....im a big fm/cm fan owning all of the previous games, they sit on my self facing me, yes im a big fan of the series but can also see that they (si) are ripping the butt out of us and the game.

Please dont post a fanboy like comment if you reply.

thank you

people LIKE ME would like a game that they can play the moment they buy it and not have to wait untill a patch is downloaded....the game is unfinished mate yet again....im a big fm/cm fan owning all of the previous games, they sit on my self facing me, yes im a big fan of the series but can also see that they (si) are ripping the butt out of us and the game.

Please dont post a fanboy like comment if you reply.

thank you

I would have bothered to reply if it wasn't for your last 2 lines, grow up kid.

people LIKE ME would like a game that they can play the moment they buy it and not have to wait untill a patch is downloaded....the game is unfinished mate yet again....im a big fm/cm fan owning all of the previous games, they sit on my self facing me, yes im a big fan of the series but can also see that they (si) are ripping the butt out of us and the game.

Please dont post a fanboy like comment if you reply.

thank you

What's unfinished about it?

I'm loving it and think it's the best game they have done on release yet but then that makes me a fanboy so i'm going to support it.

What a load of rubbish if it was terrible i would say so but i just think they have made a great game this time and with future patches will make it even better.

You show me a game released today without bugs all games have them.

people LIKE ME would like a game that they can play the moment they buy it and not have to wait untill a patch is downloaded....the game is unfinished mate yet again....im a big fm/cm fan owning all of the previous games, they sit on my self facing me, yes im a big fan of the series but can also see that they (si) are ripping the butt out of us and the game.

Please dont post a fanboy like comment if you reply.

thank you

The thing is, you're seeing it the wrong way around. The game is playable out of the box, there are very few, if any, true bugs that stop the game stone dead. I repeat: the game can be played just fine without patch.

At the same time, there are things in the game that need tweaking. They are constantly being tweaked during development and they are also being tweaked after the game has 'gone gold'. Instead of waiting for a couple of months, like 99% of the other software developers out there, SI make their tweaks available on the very first day of purchase, so that you are playing the actual most recent, furthest developed version of the game.

That, it needs saying, is one of the things that make SI stand out as one of the companies with the most excellent customer service out there.

For the vast majority of users, the authentication system is now working fine. It has been apart from for a few hours yesterday afternoon, for which I, SEGA and Paul have already apologised on here, and SEGA via a press release. I've also stated "That part of it I am obviously very unhappy with, and I would have been just as angry as many of those on the forums that posted.". When we release the statement on Monday, you'll find out what the combination of problems were, and can judge us at that point.

I'll judge you ahead of time, Miles. I was frustrated when I couldn't authenticate the game for hours on end, but since then the forums have been handled brilliantly. You must have the patience of a saint and I notice you have handled about a million problem posts on your own... guessing you get paid a quid for each one you do? If anyone wants proof of how committed to their user base SI are, then this is it! Well done and thanks, you are a star!

So if i return my game to Tesco with my receipt i'll get a full refund even though it's been opened and used?

There's really no point me playing anymore because as soon as i go to do anything it freezes and i've tried everything to get it working, including trying to get the latest driver on Nvidia GeForce or whatever it is and it d/l's it all and then says it's a faulty link even though it's from their official website. I've also done the microsoft DirectX thing and my laptop already had it. Mirrored isn't an option for me as it's greyed out and whatever i do it isn't ever there as a choice.