should football manager come out every 2 yrs?

[Mani king]

it seems that the folks at SI spend 6 months sorting out the last version and then 6 months on the next?

should they just do a major overhall of it every two years with a update patch sold online in the year between?

that way they could really test the bugs etc out?

[rsk360]

no they shouldn't...SI should just let proper fans test them....people who would realise that there are only 30 yard shots and lots of injuries

[Matt SFC]

They'd make half as much money, Why would SI want to do that?

[Mani king]

well we can all live in the hope there's things more than just greed. alot of players are gettin turned off by the huge amount of bugs and errors

its fair enough that there will b SOME bugs but this many? a few yrs back everyone slated CM for the bugs.

[presumingpete]

no SI couldnt afford it then we wouldnt have fm on any years

[ozzy_jam]

it seems that the folks at SI spend 6 months sorting out the last version and then 6 months on the next?

should they just do a major overhall of it every two years with a update patch sold online in the year between?

that way they could really test the bugs etc out?

I was thinking of something similar seen as we probably wont be able to play fm 09 properly until the next patch is released (January transfer window I reckon, a full 3 months after release!)

I don't understand why SI and Sega confirmed the release date of November 14th so early when I think even they knew it wasn't going to be ready. I for one would have been much happier waiting a month or so to get a finished game that we could have got stuck into.

I'm really hoping the 9.02 patch will correct a lot of the flaws like the 8.02 patch did last year but at the minute I feel like I'm wasting my time playing it now when I'm going to have to start all over again!

[Harryseaess]

No, SI is a profit-led organisation and therefore need to release the game every year to make profit. If you owned a business such as Si would you miss out on the massive amounts of money that they get? I think not...

[PaulC]

Tbh I reckon the vast majority of FM players are probably happy we release the game each season. Besides, its the business model we created for CM/FM and Sega bought into. Its non negotiable and rightly so.

I dont disagree we probably need more eyes on the game at beta stage next year, but after the beta demo getting leaked a couple of years ago its been considered a no go. I suspect we will be looking for more offsite beta testers going forward one way or another.......

[Mani king]

exactly ozzy - i'm just gonna install the patch now and gonna have to restart the damn thing

[Mani king]

paul - thanks for the reply - its just a shame to see what could've been a brilliant game being dogged by so many teething problems. whilst i totally understand about the leaking and the need to protect your product SI also has a duty to its customer and fan base too.

tbh the last one when it came out - i was happy - i didnt update till i thought might aswell give it a try. but this one has really taken a knock on alot of people. ALOT more than any previous version had. maybe SI could some how get offsite testers but with each version somehow personalised so if it was leaked out there could be a way of tracing back who did it and the appropriate action taking place.

[DJ]

there could be a way of tracing back who did it and the appropriate action taking place.

Well, you can't undo the leaking of course.

As to the OP: noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! I need my yearly FM fix, don't even think about it!!

[presumingpete]

I'd be more than happy to test it, I'm not smart enough to work out how to leak it!

[GavinZac]

Tbh I reckon the vast majority of FM players are probably happy we release the game each season. Besides, its the business model we created for CM/FM and Sega bought into. Its non negotiable and rightly so.

I dont disagree we probably need more eyes on the game at beta stage next year, but after the beta demo getting leaked a couple of years ago its been considered a no go. I suspect we will be looking for more offsite beta testers going forward one way or another.......

For Beta testing you could maybe have one of those 'working from home' solutions like Citrix where the tests would use the application but never actually have the code.

Personally I'm quite enjoying 09, its definately an improvement. An improvement worth a full €50 over FM08? I don't know. Perhaps there could be some sort of cheaper DB update released instead of a full game. Still, I'd imagine I'd end up religiously buying the full new version has I have done for a decade.

What I would like to see is a more fluid approach to updates. If the match engine could be isolated from the game code, it could be updated regularly as people spot flaws, as it is in FM Live. In FM Live, if someone spots an exploit or a silly occurance, it can be fixed and ME 637 is out the next day. With FM, you're usually stuck with the same ME for 3 months then another 9 months, and the flaws in each begin to grate.

[daylight]

Well times do move on and the more *cough*game improvements they have added the more testing is needed,there are too many faults making it through beta testing,there really is,how the goalkeeper to striker pass in every game was missed is beyond me,also the injuries,no dis-respect to the beta testers but did they want to test the game or just get a free preview,some of what was missed is basic errors.
I think there is still a market for FM every year but and I do mean but if they keep pushing the same unfinished game out every year then ppl will turn there backs on them,2008 was a mess and 2009 isnt much better.
Lets take away the stupid game registering we had this year,after most got that sorted all you heard was"when is the next patch"
I have an idea why dont you start to release game when it is ready,I understand you want to get it out there and patch in January for the transfer's,Though I dont think 1 player would mind if you released in January after the transfers and no patch would be needed,we actually had a game that was as close to 100% as you could get it.

[Sp3aker]

they desperately need to do a beta. they could even just do a closed beta with the most avid posters on here. theres so many bugs it's unbelievable and every time they release a new version it sucks camel bals until the january patch when theyve finally sorted out a bug as obvious as getting an injury a game and the opposition score goals from 30 yards plus as often as van nistelrooy would score tap ins vs an under 5 side

[GavinZac]

they desperately need to do a beta. they could even just do a closed beta with the most avid posters on here. theres so many bugs it's unbelievable and every time they release a new version it sucks camel bals until the january patch when theyve finally sorted out a bug as obvious as getting an injury a game and the opposition score goals from 30 yards plus as often as van nistelrooy would score tap ins vs an under 5 side

The injury bug is fixed. Players do get injured, and SI correlate the number of injuries in the game with the number of injuries as seen on physioroom.com. If it is more often then you are used to from previous games, it is the previous games that were wrong.

The opposition strikers will score from 30 yards if you give them too much space. It's Your Tactics™.

The match engine error you've actually omitted is the real problem - defenders don't win headers often enough when the ball is just pumped long down the centre - they seem to try to step up for offside even if the ball is clearly going to just hang in the air. This does not make the game "suck camel bals" since it happens to both AI and human teams, so its pretty fair regardless.

Believe it or not, they do do a beta of the match engine. It's called FM Live and Its Available for Subscription Today!

[B. Stinson]

Gamer-wise: Yes, it'd be more time to polish the game.

Business-wise: No, it'd mean less sales due to less-frequent releases.

[alanricouk]

I think maybe they should take at two years out just once to get everything up to date. That way, when they release it every year in the future, it will be pretty bug free, bar new features.

Maybe just release an update and new leagues on year at half the price?

[daylight]

The injury bug is fixed. Players do get injured, and SI correlate the number of injuries in the game with the number of injuries as seen on physioroom.com. If it is more often then you are used to from previous games, it is the previous games that were wrong.

The opposition strikers will score from 30 yards if you give them too much space. It's Your Tactics™.

The match engine error you've actually omitted is the real problem - defenders don't win headers often enough when the ball is just pumped long down the centre - they seem to try to step up for offside even if the ball is clearly going to just hang in the air. This does not make the game "suck camel bals" since it happens to both AI and human teams, so its pretty fair regardless.

Believe it or not, they do do a beta of the match engine. It's called FM Live and Its Available for Subscription Today!

I am sorry but this is the sort of feedback that stops this game being sorted,"its your tactics" read the post I made I tried all sort of tactics and formation,even some as stupid as 3-3-3-1,thats with 3 def cent midfielders and still they had so many ranged shots,so I changed it too a 3-5-2 and was still the same,just for a laugh I had only 2 defenders and they still shot from ranged.

1st rule to get something sorted is ...admit there is a problem...
I love the game as much as the next guy but comming on and saying "it all works as it should" does not help this title.

[GavinZac]

I am sorry but this is the sort of feedback that stops this game being sorted,"its your tactics" read the post I made I tried all sort of tactics and formation,even some as stupid as 3-3-3-1,thats with 3 def cent midfielders and still they had so many ranged shots,so I changed it too a 3-5-2 and was still the same,just for a laugh I had only 2 defenders and they still shot from ranged.

1st rule to get something sorted is ...admit there is a problem...
I love the game as much as the next guy but comming on and saying "it all works as it should" does not help this title.

Are you just moving the players about? There's a lot you can do in the instructions tab too.

[daylight]

Are you just moving the players about? There's a lot you can do in the instructions tab too.

I am well aware of that and I know that in the 2 weeks of every night playing and still loving the game it is not ready and has too many faults.
Like I said I enjoy the game but the injuries,ranged shots and goalkeeper to strikers are a big problem.
Maybe it is different in the premiership I havent honestly tried but I do know in the lower leagues it is a nightmare,try and run some tests yourself and if you honestly believe it is fine then re-post.

[EnderMB]

I've always wondered why companies like SI buy into the yearly format. It's hardly enough time to get a good working game out, and more often than not they come out as updated versions of the games we all played last year. As much as I love FM the majority of it is pulled straight from last year.

What would be far better is for SI to take three years out (in 2010) to completely rewrite FM for a brand-new release, with all the features that users have requested thus-far. From then on, every year provides a new expansion pack with new features and the new database. At least this way we aren't paying top money for an update.

[LeoVieira]

I play the german 3rd division, and so far i have no problems with injuries or long range shots.

And the keeper to striker ball is a problem that i noticed. But still i haven't conceeded a goal because of that, and my striker once scored a goal after my keeper kicking the ball all over the pitch.

[GavinZac]

I am well aware of that and I know that in the 2 weeks of every night playing and still loving the game it is not ready and has too many faults.
Like I said I enjoy the game but the injuries,ranged shots and goalkeeper to strikers are a big problem.
Maybe it is different in the premiership I havent honestly tried but I do know in the lower leagues it is a nightmare,try and run some tests yourself and if you honestly believe it is fine then re-post.

I'm currently playing with one of the relegation battlers in France's League 2, I usually have between 3 and 5 players injured in a first team squad of 25, which fits in with the real world, ranged shots aren't a problem (in fact, they're a bonus, every now and then if the opposition strikers are good finishers Ill try to encourage them to shoot from distance rather than advancing closer) but yes, the defenders dont deal with long balls properly and i havent been able to sort it. I have noticed however that it seems to happen when my assistant is telling me the centre back hasnt settled into the squad properly yet, which would fit with the defender seeming to try to play the striker offside and no-one else responding in kind, leaving the striker clean through.

[Sweed]

Well, if you are patient enough to wait two years for FM why can't you be patient enough to not buy until the Jan\Feb patch sorts things out?

[warkill]

The opposition strikers will score from 30 yards if you give them too much space. It's Your Tactics™.

Wow, I don't know that it is a trademark! Wait a minute, is it copyrighted?

Seriously, SI no doubt can make a much better game in 2 years time, but they will get lesser money!

[Mani king]

its like the fifa/PES games taht come out every year

but with them you get the same thing again and again with a new feature maybe added and a slight upgrade on graphics. and also they're mostly console games so the hard ware is the same - they can afford to do the year on year thing knowing the hardware is the same.

no body would buy a dvd or plasma tv with the knowledge it will only work properly 3 months down the line.

even microsoft learnt from previous debacles of their OS's!

[JGM]

its like the fifa/PES games taht come out every year

but with them you get the same thing again and again with a new feature maybe added and a slight upgrade on graphics. and also they're mostly console games so the hard ware is the same - they can afford to do the year on year thing knowing the hardware is the same.

no body would buy a dvd or plasma tv with the knowledge it will only work properly 3 months down the line.

even microsoft learnt from previous debacles of their OS's!

agree with everything else but sorry when exactly did microsoft learn regarding their os's? The copy of vista inflicted on me when i bought my laptop must have missed that.

[Mani king]

there's a reason i didnt do vista yet... *L*

[JGM]

there's a reason i didnt do vista yet... *L*

Theres only a single reason I do... fm having said that I would have installed xp again instead if I hadnt lost the disc.