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Become a beta tester for SI


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  • SI Staff

Hi folks,

One of the things we are taking on board from this year’s release is that feedback from these forums can be very useful in terms of identifying issues, but is sometimes received at the point after which we have released a new game or patch for it, simply due to the amount of permutations in a game like FM.

So what we want to do in this thread is to invite those of you who are interested to apply to beta test future patches and releases of Football Manager, in order for us to get more feedback and get more people testing patches and releases to try and get any issues ironed out before release - you will be expected to give regular feedback via a special invite only forum as part of beta testing.

All you need to do is post in this thread, stating why you feel you should be considered and your biggest issue (if you have one) with Football Manager 2009. We will also take your previous posts into account, as well as infractions etc and choose those of you we feel can contribute to making the next patch as good as possible.

Some things to be aware of before posting...

You would need to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (a document where you legally promise to not discuss any area of beta testing or what you are testing) in order to take part in the testing process and therefore must be over 18 or be able to get your parents to sign the legal document for you. You also need to ensure that your details are up to date in your profile so that we can email you if your application is successful.

Please also note that we will only get in touch with you if your application has been successful and please do not be offended if you are not picked - we know what we are looking for and whilst some of you who apply may be perfectly suited to help in different cirumstances, you may not be suitable at this time.

Finally, this thread is purely for applications to be part of what we call our "Dream Team" test team. We ask that people do not comment on other people's applications, or take the thread off-topic, and if there are off-topic posts, infractions and deletions of posts will likely follow.......

Closing date for applications for this round of beta testing is Sunday 11th January at midday UK time, and all who we wish to invite to be testers will be contacted by Wednesday 14th January.

Cheers,

Paul Collyer

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I'll open the batting.

I would like to declare my interest in to this beta testing arrangement. I feel that I should be considered as a proven Beta tester from FML and a regular player of the FM series since the first Championship Manager series. The biggest "issue" I have at current is around the current in-game features such as the press conferences which lack the detail and sense to maintain enjoyment in participating in these as opposed to just sending the AssMan to deal with them.

Looking forward to the opportunity and priviledge,

Kind Regards

JJ

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I think that I would be good for this as I have played the games for a long time (since CM2) and think that I have a good knowledge of the games and how they should work. Also, I consider myself to be logical minded, which should help.

I think also as someone who has beta tested FML since GW4 opened, that I understand how the process works and what kind of things you are trying to achieve.

My biggest bug bear with FM09 is the press conferences, not enough of them is taken into account by your players or the media message afterwards, also I would like to see more variance and detail in both the questions asked and the answers that you have to choose from

Look forward to (possibly) hearing the good news ;)

Thanks for the opportunity Paul :thup:

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Sorry, I stand corrected. I apologise.

I would now like to throw my hat into the ring. Mainly because I've played FM since FM05 but only because of my age that I haven't played more, I play it constantly and am always on unless my laptop breaks (which it has at the moment). My biggest gripe with FM09 is that, Like JJay said, is the press conferences aren't detailed enough, also the team-talks are sometimes very limited and need to be expanded on. Also I Beta tested FML which I thought was enjoyable and good fun so I know a bit about what to look for and so on. Another note, my infraction wasn't deserved as other people have kindly pointed out to me :) so please don't hold that against me.

Cheers for your time.

Tom.

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Hello,

I would like to think I proved my worth as a beta-tester during the FML Beta Phase, I would enjoy being given the opportunity to test Football Manager as it is by far my favourite game and the only game I play on PC. My current gripes with the game are the "simple bugs" like poor AI transfer dealings and "simple issues" like in my opinion, poor interpretation of tactics - the sliders makes it too confusing. Apart from these which I understand may be hard to fix - for example things like FA Cup draws being wrong (simple but easily fixed) annoy me! Things like having more options and clarity in team-talks and press briefings would be up there with things I would change aswell.

Thanks,

John B.

-I am 16-

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I would like to be considered as part of the Beta testing team. I love the series now as much as the early championship managers and have seen the game grow much bigger and better with each version. In my opinion the biggest problem/ issue with the game is the match engine and how it is only representative of the game and still has certain flaws which make the game look unrealistic.

I Hope I can have the opportunity to help make this game better in the future.

Many Thanks

Cityull

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I'd love to beta test future patches and releases, my post count isn't very high, but I'm sure most of my posts have been helpful.

I play the game as much as possible, I have a bit of an OCD personality so hopefully I'd spot things that others would'nt.

The biggest issue i have with the game at the moment is the news, I often find that I haven't been told about appointments or sackings at clubs in the same leagues as me, and other big stories like signings.

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Hiya,

I'd like to confirm my interest in Beta Testing for FM.

I have access to the full range of Intel Apple Mac's through work, and am personally interested in the improvement of performance on Mac laptops in non-3D environment; something that has seriously degraded in FM09.

I am extremely patient as a former web application developer and systems integrator, and very comfortable with deeper Unix side of the Mac environment.

I have played the series since the Amiga days of CM1; and have become an even more dedicated fan since the sponsorship of my local team - AFC Wimbledon :-)

Although not a regular poster on this forum, it is mainly due to my dis-interest of the negative and childish behavior especially surrounding the launch-day issues.

Happy New Year!

Adam

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I would like to be considered.

You may remember that I myself did indeed start a thread a while ago, discussing this idea of (almost) open beta-testing. I was told then that there was such a thing before but people abused the position by leaking information about the game and/or code.

I'm 29yrs old and have been playing CM/FM since CM4; I'm a big fan of the series and would like nothing more than to volunteer my services to Sports Interactive in order to help FM progress in any way I can.

One area I do have issues with is the odd goings-on in the match engine and the players' apparent lack of intelligence and poor decision-making, eg; (even "World Class" players) running the ball out of play when under no pressure whatsoever; really fast strikers and wingers being out-paced by lumbering CB's regardless of condition, etc etc (I could make a list but it wouldn't matter at the minute).

I would like to be given this opportunity.

Steve. :)

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I would like to considered for a part in this role. I have played CM/FM for as long as I have owned a PC. I may have only recently joined these forums but my job role IRL involves software testing for a large company and I feel I have a very clear understanding of whats involved in testing. I also seem to have a lot of spare time recently :S. From my testing I know I have a good attention to detail and am able to look at the wider picture of what others areas could be affected by a bug I find and see if that is also affected.

The biggest issue I have with FM09 upto now is the IMO unrealistic way in which boards are running clubs. Im in 2014 in my game and a scroll through the club information shows me not a single premiership club have expanded there capacity (except one ive just noticed). One club have moved the "Portsmouth Stadium" but the rest are still in there current Stadiums. I understand its a fine balance and seems IMO to have been toned down from 08 but I believe its gone to far.

Oh the other thing thats really really annoying in 09 is the staff contract reminders not showing anywhere in your inbox. I dont know how it happeened but I ended up with no Physio's at all and that cant be good or normal?

Regards

Huw

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I'd love to be considered for this, because I'd like to be a help to you guys make the game or patches as perfect as possible. I've been playing FM since 06 and I do think, whilst it has its flaws, 09 is the best yet. A tiny flaw in the ME on 2D classic I've found is that it sometimes shrinks to mini-dots. To be part of the experience (allbeit, not a big part but still) would be fantastic and thats why I'd like you to consider me as a beta tester.

Regards,

CV.

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I'd like to become a beta tester for SI on behalf of the Mac users. We are always overlooked in departments and our gameplay has many bugs that need addressing. I have been playing FM since the company started, having plenty of experience and foresight on areas the game could improve. Thanks for giving people the chance to become beta testers.

Regards,

Andy

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I would like to be considered for a Beta testing role! I'm more than happy to spend some time helping out a game I get a great deal of enjoyment from and I'd be delighted to support a developer that interfaces with its community. I wish more would.

At present I've plenty of time on my hands and I spend a fair amount of my 'FM time' on the forums answering posts as best I can, not to mention sticking my oar in and suggesting improvements to game features. I'd like to think the majority of my posts are considered (at least for a forum) and in no way aggressive. I've been writing a suggestions post off-line for a while and I'd imagine some of it could go into this more private of forums in order to help development of future patches.

Professionally I'm a game designer and manager within the unstable world of game development. Having received a tidy pay-off from the last studio I brought to its knees (actually they just decided to go all porting house, bah!) I'm taking time out before returning to the industry. That last line is so job-seeker it made me chuckle. If I cannot get a full-time design position at SI, I'd be happy to help for free when it comes to providing feedback on the patches/anything else that crops up. I very much doubt my returning to work would void my ability to work for you chaps (I'm not likely to turn up at BGS put it that way and I have many a time worked on freelance contracts whilst holding full-time employment - something I look to have approved).

My biggest issue with FM is a close run call between its inaccessbility for the lightweight gamer (doesnt play many games, perhaps only FM) which is my professional side coming out and from a personal 'fan' side I'd say the lack of scenario support. By this I mean things such as press conferences not being well tailored to the multitude of scenarios that can exist in a managerial career, media reports not catering for specific scenarios appropriately and so on. Thinking ahead in order to avoid bug scenarios. I could certainly help with other areas that might be less popular (face it, everyone will want ME, Regens, Media and so on :) ).

I dont know if I can ask here but I've a couple of questions:

Is installation of beta patches reversible?

Could we have two installs of FM? (personal and testing?)

Would we all need exactly the same data? By this I mean skins, pitch graphics, billboard gfx and so on - there are a ton of community add-ons in the real-world.

I suppose ideally we could play using our current real-world setups (surely half the point?) as well as run a clean development type environment.

The End.

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In this post I will state the reasons on why I should be picked to be part of the BETA testing team.

First off, I am a massive fan of Football Manager, I really enjoy the game and enjoy being part of the community. This is an advantage because I am in touch with other hardcore fans and know what standards are expected by the community. I know what will be stood for and what will not.

Also, even though I am young, I am an enthusiastic and calm person this can only be positive. The fact that I am enthusiatic will help in noticing problems with the game and will show no hesitation in pointing them out. The fact that I would arrive home from school and spend that whole night testing the game only shows that I want to do the job and do it properly. I can also take any abuse that may arise, if the names chosen become community knowledge, and not jump back down their throats with insults of my own. I will not mind if users want to blame me and the rest of the testing team, for mistakes with the game, as far as I see it, I can take positives from it and only learn if I have missed something.

Furthermore, I am a dedicated person. I push myself to the limits in everything I do and this would be no different. I would make sure my testing standards are high and will do everything in my power to make sure nothing gets past me in terms of bugs. Ever since my own Football experience has kicked off, I have always wanted to be the best; I do not do third, or even second, I only ever accept being first. The same will apply when I am testing, I will not treat as something I do on the side, I will take give 100% and make sure if I see a problem, everyone in the testing team finds out about the problem to input their opinion.

Another positive is that I have two computers; a top of the range laptop and a desktop that just met the minimum requirements for FM09. Presuming the changes made for FM10 are not too drastic, and of course, I am given permission, I could test out both machines for graphical bugs or even performance issues. I will have the best the game can run and near the worst the game can run, so that gives me the ability to compare the two and make sure graphical glitches are minimal and performance issues noticed increase.

Another thing is, I am not going to claim that I am experienced in the testing department. I believe you need something fresh, something new, and a bit of enthusiasm. I am applying as it is something I want to do, I want to be a part of the production of Football Manager. Hopefully you will see from my previous posts that I am helpful and willing and am determined to make sure everyone is satisfied with the product.

Finally, and most importantly, I am honest. I never let anybody take my opinion away from me and I am not afraid to put someone straight. Some may see this as a negative quality but I see it as very important in business as a whole. The last thing a company like Sports Interactive want is someone who is afraid to pick something out and is afraid to form an opinion. I am mentally strong and am not going to hide when I see a problem that other members may not think is so important. For me, a perfect game is a bug-free game, so, while no product released has been bug free (Football Manager among other games) I would do my best to make sure everything from the major bugs to the little irritating bugs are noticed, and fixed up.

My biggest issue with Football Manager 2009 is the training. I think the way the user decides how his team train needs a complete revamp as I do not believe it is very user friendly. Many people do not use training that often and leave it as the default given, when in the real world of Football, training is an integral part to a teams success and has massive importance. I would also prefer an alternative to be looked into for the sliders. I would rather have a day plan set out for each day and let the user decide which areas of training he will focus on in each section of the day. Some may see this as 'gimmicky' but I see it as the most realistic way training can be set out.

To conclude, I feel I have the best qualities to be given the responsibility of beta testing. I am alert, enthusiastic and will not let enjoyment get in the way of doing something and doing it properly.

Kind Regards, Peter

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i have playing the games, since the early days, which includes the first game produced, under the title championship manager. since then ive been hooked, i would love to be helpfull, in anyway possible.

in such a case, when it comes to beta testing, i would be inclined to use the frase, the more the merrier..

ive been critical over the number of major bugs, ive questioned the testing and always wondered how certain bugs could slip through.. so i personally feel, with my criticism viewed in hindsight, i should step up to the plate and seek to become a beta tester..

regards,

dennis

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Hi, i am posting here as i would like to be considered for beta testing.

I have been playing this series from its first incarnation to this one, although in the earlier versions there was almost no need for beta testers as the game ran 'almost' perfectly. Saying that you can guess that i think that FM2009 is full of bugs, a view shared by probably almost everyone who has played the game.

I am not the sort to go out looking for bugs but that is what i would do as a tester, i understand it is not enough simply playing the product, you have to look for them.

I am 28 years old, been playing since 15 years old or so.... now i feel old.

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I'd be happy to help where and when I can... I've been playing the game since 97/98 etc etc, I have minimal experience in games development but I've been developing websites (usually for my own amusement) for about 12/13 years now so I have a little experience in poking out bugs, allbeit usually with a little more knowledge of where to poke! I also have a couple of different setups so I would be able to test on XP and Vista with nVidia and SIS graphics cards.

As for FM09 it's been underplayed by myself so far with christmas etc, my main gripe had been having players stretchered off when I had no subs left only to find them fully fit straight after the match (and conceding after going down to 10...) but that seems to be fixed in 9.2, the most annoying one still in there is that assistants have a habit of giving 2 or 3 players 'team' teamtalks, then everyone else individual ones that are exactly the same, so I have to go through and change 9 players back to team rather than just 2 or 3, which seems a little illogical to me.

Anyway hope I can help :)

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I believe I would be a suitable candidate for BETA testing as I am dedicated,trustworthy and always give an honest opinion on everything, I am also open minded and will always give new ideas or features a suitable period of time before commenting on them to get a good idea of how they will impact the game. I will only comment on features that affect the game as a whole and not on features that i personally dont like, i also believe that everyone is allowed an opinion and have the right to express it but in a constructive manner.

Overall I believe I would be suited for BETA testing as I have the qualities needed to be fair and will try to help in anyway for improvement on future versions of Football Manager and its patches, thank you.

Thomas

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I would like to try the beta testing i spend alot of time on forums and like to think ive got alot of knowledge about footie.Played semi pro for 8 years ive also just started to do my own fm updates which you can see in editors highway:thup:

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I feel I would be able to beta test as I have played all football manager games... including the original championship manager games since I can remember. Im currently 21 and a student..meaning I have stupid amounts of time on my hands to take part. I recently helped test FM live aswell, so i understand that what I will be testing is not the final product and can cope with the many likely problems there will be.

So yeah ill be happy to test and sign what ever forms you need me to.

Thanks Rory Ruddock (long suffering NUFC fan)

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Hi, I'd really like to be considered to become a beta tester.

Im reasonably new to the football manager series, with FM06 being the first one i played. However i have been completely hooked since!

I play a massive amount of Football Manager these days, with it taking up most of my spare time putting in around 5-6 hours a night, and up to 15 hours on the weekend.

I think there are a few minor problems needing sorting out, including the press conferences!

I dont play on the best gaming rig ever! Just my simple laptop for college, but it gets the work done!

I've never tried to do it in a FM game itself, but i do look for ways to, in essence "break" a game, especially when playing on the xbox 360 online, a quality which would be perfect for a beta tester.

Thanks for reading! :)

Hope to hear from you soon!

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I'd love to be considered for this beta testing role, mainly because I would like to help out in making future editions of the game as realistic & enjoyable as possible.

Firstly, I'm 16 years old & have been following the CM/FM series since CM03/04 times I believe, but would have been playing it at an earlier stage if I was older I'm sure. I've been an avid follower of the series ever since, buying every game in the series since then, & would certainly consider myself as a hardcore FM'er.

I very much enjoy being part of the Football Manager community on these boards, & would be glad to contribute more to the community by helping in the beta testing process.

While I certainly am enjoying playing Football Manager 2009, but there is one particular part of them game where I feel there is still room for improvement in. This is the media interaction area - I feel that this area of the game needs to be heavily expanded on, with more detail being put into it (more options in comments you can make to players/managers, making press conferences less repetitive, being able to call your own press conferences, & many other things like that which I can't think of right now!)

In conclusion, I would love to be given the opportunity to be a tester because I feel that I'm very passionate about this game & would be driven to help make it the best game it can possibly be.

Regards,

Alan

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I would like to be considered for Beta testing.

I have played the CM/FM series since it's start and fell that I have a good understanding of how the game works and the importance to detail that has become a hallmark of every game. I have a good understanding of the match engine and feel I can spot possible bugs relating to it. Furthermore, I would be honoured to play a part in future releases of Football Manager and help make the final version as playable and efficient as possible.

Regards

Steve

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Hi there - I'd love to be a beta tester as I've played the game since CM3.

I live in Denmark and I can especially offer knowledge on the Scandinavian market. When playing I also manage in the Spanish and English leagues. My primary focus is the transfer market and the mental aspects of squad management. IRL I follow transfers closely and therefore I feel that I have a very good perception of how the real life transfer market works.

My main issue with the game is accordingly unrealistic player movement. In Denmark for instance too many unknown players from e.g. South America make their way to the Danish league, which doesn't represent the real life situation. This is something that has been going on for years. Also AI clubs magically spotting those special talents who've never even played a senior game or been on a trial with the club in question.

I am a casual gamer when it comes to tactics and trainig, meaning that I don't spend hours and hours setting these up. But I do feel that this is an area of the game which could be made more, shall we say, transparent for those from your customer base who maybe don't have the time to go that much into detail and just want to get on with their matches.

Another thing I like to do is play around with the database in the editor, setting up various scenarios and seeing how the game reacts. I am very comfortable with using the editor and feel that I definitely could make a good contribution to making sure that it works as intended.

I have experience from testing other applications as well, where the main focus has been spotting language errors and giving feedback on the user experience, i.e. is it hard to get an overview of the options available or is the program too confusing. As I work in a technical support role, I'm also very used to tracking down technical issues, should that also become a necessity.

All in all, I'm not as arrogant as this text might make me seem :) I'm just very determined to contribute to making the game as realistic and smooth as possible.

I welcome this initiative and really hope to hear from you.

Cheers

Omar

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I would like to be considered for future FM beta testing because I waste most of my life playing this game and would love to have the chance to solve any issues to make the game as good as possible.

I have beta tested before, for FM live and appreciate the work that all beta testers do.

I started my managing career with champ man 00/01 and have never looked back :)

The feature I would like to develop most is scouting, I want to make scouting a bigger part of the FM series because at the moment I think its too basic :p

Thanks.

Ell

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I did some beta testing before and I'm playing this game since CM2. And I have some knowledge about the Swiss, German and Austrian leagues structures and would have spotted the Swiss registration bug very early. :)

And I'm playing the game both on a windows pc and a macintosh.

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Like to register my interest. I sometimes go a bit overboard with my posts in terms of my "criticism" of certain areas such is my love....no that's not the right word, it's more a caring feeling, for the game since it's CM early days.

I'm a firm believer that FM is a better game year on year and due to the smaller increase in features (I feel a plataeu is forthcoming) year on year, testing as a concept and as a developmental phase is paramount now, as ever.

I have no prior software testing experience, but do have some limited software development experience (from a project manager role). My personal agenda should I be accepted is to scrutinise the "media/press" centric sections of the game in order to make sure that the interaction between them (media) and the club and it's employees is as fluid as possible (restrictions permitting).

Obviously I won't be developing the game, but my expectations in this area (and indeed others) may well help to highlight a few "data related oversights " perhaps, as well as the show stopping bugs.

Here's hoping I'll get a look in, and if so, I hope I deliver something approaching a good service :)

Thanks

Craig bradshaw (aKa Wiggz)

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Hi. I would love to be a beta tester.

I have played Football Manager (or Championship Manager as it was) for many years now. I feel I have an in-depth knowledge of how the game works and as such I feel I would be a good beta tester. I feel I am able to contribute to the feedback on the game to make sure the game is as good as it can be, and indeed is, and consider myself able to give a balanced opinion and constructive criticism, not just stating the problem, but how it can be fixed. I know I haven't posted much on the forum; I generally use it for guidance in helping fix something which may have gone wrong. However, if I was to become a beta tester I would rest assured post more than I have done previously.

My major issue with FM2009 is unrealistic transfer fees. I am a Manchester City supporter, and I know we are owned by very rich people, but it doesn't justify paying abnormally large transfer fees for fairly mediocre players (I've heard someone say they got £70m out of City for Obafemi Martins, and another £30m for Jonathan Woodgate). This would never happen in real life.

Thanks, and I hope you seriously consider me as a beta tester.

James Halfpenny

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I'd like to put myself forward for a position as a BETA tester. Why? Well, without meaning to sound big-headed (but I suppose you have to in applications as such) I like to think I am well-educated, well-mannered, hard-working, diligant, and rational with an eye for problem solving. I also see myself as an advocator of common sense and logic, which I believe would be an essential quality for thorough testing.

I can't say that I have an experience testing, but can say that I have both reported bugs, both major and minor (from the '1 day injuries' bug to text-string errors), and that I have tried to help others with issues, even when the affected person in question may appear less than helpful.

Although I am not 18 for another 3 months, I have been playing Championship Manager and Football Manager since my childhood days, owning (although never really getting into) CM2, and finally really growing to love CM01/02. As I have grown up playing the game, from a 'newbie' and a young, navie player, to an experienced (I like to think) and more tactically-minded player, I have both seen the progress and evolution of the game, and got to grips with the game over the last decade.

Saying that, however, I would still consider myself more of a casual gamer. I am not one for always setting myself goals and challenges, or playing a long time into the future, but that does not mean that I do not play as a variety of teams, at various levels in different countries. I believe this would be of benefit when testing less-commonly played leagues.

I won't say right now what I think is wrong with the game, as others have, as I do not see that as either part of a tester's job (neccessarily), or appropriate for such an application. Believe me when I say, however, that I have many-a-idea should feedback and suggestions be encouraged or required from testers. However, if I must for the sake of the application, I'd say that my main gripe (not a large one) is with the number of mistakes and apparant lack of intelligence and direction shown by players.

As this application may have proven I believe myself to be appropriately literate and competent for the job of finding bugs, and then of reporting them, as I believe I am up to the task not only of locating issues, but too of being able to successfully and efficiently relay them back to the developers.

I think this application is pretty long, so I'll stop now.

Please consider me for BETA tester; you'd be making a sound decision in doing so. :cool:

James H.

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First, some background. I am a 20 year old student studying Management. I've been playing FM since Championship Manager 3 and couldn't let the series go until CM4 where the amount of bugs put me off the game for the next couple of years until I decided to check out FM2006. The mess that was CM4 provides some reason for I want to be a beta tester for FM by that I mean I don't want to feel as disinterested about the game (effectively ending my interest in CM) as I did. Additionally, I have an affinity and loyalty towards SI for providing a game that's brought endless hours of sitting in front of a laptop or a computer in my life and as an extension of this good feeling I want to help FM strive for improvement. The state FM09 has found itself in, in my opinion is quite a mess with my views on all the issues already well publicised on these forums, however the response SI/Sega have taken in trying to rectify the situation for future patches and versions showing an adamant interest in providing a good product has re-affirmed my belief in the company. With this, I want to provide my 'expertise' to iron out flaws and provide an extra source of suggestions for the next step forward.

The biggest problem I have with FM is that it's cluttered together with too many 'little' issues, flaws, bugs, and so on. The press conferences are unbearable, the AI transfer strategy is infuriatingly stupid, the bojan bug effectively ruins any integrity-focused top division football (and possibly long term games if regens are affected too as suspected), the 3d match engine is whilst a great new expansion from 2d, far from finished and for something that was supposedly 'years in the making' it's underwhelming. And there's more. If I had to choose one issue specifically, I would probably say something like the bojan bug or the transfer system, or perhaps press conferences or.. okay, it's tough. The reasons for any of those though, are the same: they come up in every new game and it's quite disheartening to play a game where even whilst you casually play, you come across such things where you can't actually conceive the developers missing them. Like with the injuries with 9.0. The feeling I get, and several of my friends have echoed is that it's like SI 'don't care' about what they've released when terribly obvious issues are released with a product and that isn't a feeling I want to associate with SI because that isn't them. Their interest in recruiting beta testers and more shows this. But if you're not a forum member how could you tell that? A worry though, is that a lot of these have been found, but there aren't enough coders to perhaps fix them in ample time? I don't know, this is pure speculation. But that's not the end of the world in any case. I realise I may come across more critical than anything else in my posts but I think you guys accept most criticisms I have made directed towards FM09, I have no intention to 'slate' anything for the sake of it. As far as my biggest issue with FM in terms of the backbone of the game would undoubtedly have to be the unintuitive tactical system, with the very neglected and underdeveloped training module and severely limited 'interaction' (with players in team talks/outside of matches, media, whoever; it's too repetitive and more often than not poorly worded) coming second and third.

So why me? If you check the sort of threads I've been creating, they are regularly investigative inspired by observations I've made playing the game. I only raise queries to find out how things work and then offer suggestions to improve them. As I mentioned before, I study Management and critical thinking is an important component in such a degree, and I believe I've picked up a lot of transferable skills that would apply well in beta testing as well as suggestions for improvement to the game.

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Firstly, I feel I would be ideal to beta test a Football Manager 2009 Patch. I have had experience beta testing SI Products before,with Football Manager Live, as well as some testing with Treyarch, but that is irrelevant . Admittedly, the first time I dropped out of it, feeling it would be better if someone who could remain more active could take my place. However, I returned for a second stint. Once again, I backed out, however, this time it was forced by my computer, which was a heap of..., however, since then, I have bought a laptop, specifically for Football Manager's 3D engine to run smoothly on. This can be of massive help as I can test out for any bugs and hitches. Anyway, I strived to make FML better, and I would strive to make this one better too. Football Manager is a brilliant game, and this is represented by the millions of fans who buy it. I feel that it would be an honour and a privilege to beta test FM 09's patches. I am an active member of one of your affiliates, FMDiscussion, and so I can easily give feedback whenever needed, and whenever I feel neccessary.

My biggest issue with Football Manager right now is simply the little hitches in it. For example, if you check my recent posts, you will see after an embarassing 6-0 defeat to Manchester United at home, as Manchester City, my assistant singled out players, telling them that he was delighted with some, and just pleased with the others. He should have been angry with them all surely? Anyway, I would spend my time searching out bugs rather than trying to get a game in earlier than others.

I am fully aware of data protection, as I work half-days in the Licensing Section of Berwick Borough Council two days a week, so I understand the idea of the Non Diclosure Agreement. I am under 18, however, my parents would be more than happy to sign the document for me, should my application be successful.

In conclusion, I would be estatic should I be picked to beta test Football Manager, and would appreciate the chance to at least try to make the game better.

Thanks, Dale Jones.

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I would be very grateful to have such a significant role in the development of my most loved game which I've admired for years. I feel I'd be a great appointment because for 9 good years I've enjoyed your realistic simulation and have always been a keen contributor throughout the FM Scene websites and sharing useful and efficient guides. I have a vast knowledge of the database and have a good eye for spotting bugs and errors which need to be rectified. I have also had history as a beta tester for FMLive which shows some experience which is always helpful.

My biggest qualm with this years FM is the confidence feature, it is a very useful addition but I feel it hasn't been executed to its greatest potential. This feature could prove to be very beneficial and give the human player more insight of the board's view.

Also, I hope you don't totally disqualify me due to my one infraction. It wasn't meant to be offensive in any way.

Kind regards, thanks for reading SI.

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I would like to be considered as a beta tester.

All you need to do is post in this thread, stating why you feel you should be considered...

Starting from Summer 2000 I spent twenty months employed as a contracted Tester, then Senior Tester (which included some supervisory duties) at A Large Video Games Publisher . During this time I worked closely with an in-house development team and travelled to work alongside two seperate independent developers. I have experience in recording bugs in a clear and concise fashion, tracking fixes and any necessary regression testing. I have tested a football management game (albeit briefly).

Although my current employment is outside the video games 'industry' it does involve some software testing; my role requires a high level of attention to detail, organisational skills, and the creation, review and implementation of procedures. There is also a great amount of research led investigation into fault finding and resolution.

In order to demonstrate my style of bug reporting, I would be happy to supply the steps required to recreate a bug in the release PS2 version of EA's "Fight Night" that disables the 'Start' button when the 'saved by the bell' option is selected.

I've been playing the Championship Manager, then Football Manager series since 1997. I've built two PC's, and bought one, to keep up with the requirements!

...and your biggest issue (if you have one) with Football Manager 2009.

I'm currently sticking to version 9.1.0, so aside from the obvious 13-men-on-the-tactical-screen 4-5-1 formation and the 'long clearance' issue (which I've negated by having my forwards close down the goalkeeper) my main bugbear was/is the fact that using the 'Check for Updates' button from the main menu links to the wrong version of the patch (Mac patch for a PC game). A bug I recorded here:

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=83895

We will also take your previous posts into account, as well as infractions etc

I'm OK on the infractions count - I hope!

Although my post count isn't the highest, I mostly get involved in tactical discussions and ideas for future developments and direction. I registered on this site after a long period of lurking in order to take part in a discussion regarding the implementation of difficulty levels. Most of my posts were wiped prior to the move from the eve forum software, but I have often patiently and politely explained to angry and frustrated forumites how to negate the 'magic' 4-2-4 or 2-3-5 formations with five simple mouse clicks, ensuring their full backs are set to 'forward runs = rarely'.

You would need to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (a document where you legally promise to not discuss any area of beta testing or what you are testing) in order to take part in the testing process and therefore must be over 18 or be able to get your parents to sign the legal document for you.

Not a problem. I'm significantly older than 18, and have signed non-disclosure agreements during several spells of employment.

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I'd like to volunteer to test patches of FM in the future. I've been a frequent player of the FM series since its inception with FM05. I'm a responsible poster and I'm a moderator on some other forums, though I suspect I can't really prove that. :p

I've just finished a Computing degree so I'm quite bang up-to-date and have plenty of knowledge in this kind of area. I'm also easy to contact and communicate well.

My biggest issue with FM09 currently is the 3D engine. It is a massive step forward but I feel that some of the players don't move or run in the way they would in real life.

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I would very much like to 'throw my hat in' as it where as a candidate for a role in beta testing future FM releases.

Things I think would make me a good candidate for the position are; I gained a higher in English while at school (admittedly a long time ago now), so consider myself to be fairly adept in getting my point accross.

I spend a very long time in front of my pc at home (due to having a physical disability) and would be more than happy to dedicate as much of that time as possible to helping to further improve the fm product.

I have owned every installment of cm/fm from cm 01 onwards and therefore feel I have a good understanding of how the product has evolved up to this point in time, so would like to think I'd have a good eye for spotting when something just doesn't 'feel' right

Finally, I have been a regular visitor to these forums for a while now and would hope that my conduct to others and the fact that I have never been on the wrong end of an infraction would go in my favour to some extent.

My biggest issue with Football Manager 2009 v9.20 is the new way in which a players previous performances are now displayed, while I do see why this was changed in the latest version to include decimilsation and therefore a more precise breakdown of each individual players form, I feel that there has been a negative effect on a squads overall rating and now find that my defenders have disproportianately high ratings compared to the rest of my squad. I have considered that this could as the old forum cliche goes be a case of 'it's my tactics', but it has happened now in three seperate savegames with three diffirent teams and a fair few different and very contrasting tactics.

One thing I feel I should add, even though it could damage my chances of being offered this opportunity, is that I have no experiance in the area of beta-testing whatsoever and would have to learn is I went along, I do consider myself a quick study though and feel confident I could do a good job given this opportunity.

Thank you for taking the time to read this application and I look forward (hopefully) to your response.

D. Owens.

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I hope that SI takes this opportunity to make sure that the beta testing team reflects the diversity of the FM community. This may already be the case, in which case SI deserves much praise, but if it isn't, I hope that changes. FM, in its recent incarnations, does not reflect the styles of football played in South America, for example, and hopefully a diverse testing team would help FM to become a more fluid simulation, better able to account for the differing approaches to the game that are found around the world.

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I would like to be considered for beta testing of FM.

I believe I have quite a bit to offer if I was chosen to beta test.

The two least most important are: I am american (I bought FM not WWSM though) and female. While these aren't very important, they at least give me a different point of view than most of your customers.

I have played FM/CM since approximately 1997 so I have experience with multiple iterations of the series.

I also have beta tested for sports management games in the past and I have also beta tested other games for 2 other companies, so I believe I have some experience in this matter.

I also have multiple computers; a laptop and a top of the line quad core system that I built. The laptop is only 6 months old, but I do notice that the match engine will appear to skip frames (I haven't run Fraps yet to be certain though).

I don't have any infractions, but I do know that my post count isn't very high. My goal in posting is constructive posting and unfortunately due to the issues that one of the previous applicants referred to I don't post very frequently.

Also, I am not certain if I have one "big" issue or a couple little ones. Some have already been mentioned, like the lack of depth in the press conferences.. Another I have already mentioned, the apparent stuttering on my 6 month old laptop. I also have had a problem where the match will sometimes be displayed using the 2D representations of the players even though it is in 3D mode.

Another has to do with the supposedly "rewritten" transfer system. Clubs still appear to submit multiple bids even though you've rejected them and the player is listed as not available for transfer. On the reverse side, when you submit a bid that is far in excess of the value of the player (say 4x for example) the club will reject it, but not say the player is unavailable for transfer. To go along with this, small clubs will not accept bids for their players that would be financially beneficial to the club, when clearly they either need the money or the bid is so exorbitant that they would be fools to reject it. Also, I have had my chairman accept bids that are below the value for a player and we are a big club without financial problems.

There are other issues, but now is not the time to go through them all and none of them are game breaking. Besides, I am enjoying the game, as I have every version, so they aren't that big a deal.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

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I would like to be considered to test future patches and releases of Football Manager. I, like many other applicants, have been a long term fan of the series since the CM days and would love to have the opportunity to play a part in the game's future.

In my current occupation I am a Compliance Adviser for a multi-national organisation. This role has taught me skills which I feel would be valuable in the testing process such as reviewing procedures and processes and feeding back findings in a structured, coherent and considered manner.

My biggest issue with FM'09 is the apparent lack of correlation at times between a player's attributes and how that translates to the 3D match engine. This is also true of staff as AI managers pick up on and exploit minor flaws in tactical design even when they have a low tactics attribute and poor scouts available to them.

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Hi Paul

I would like to apply as a beta tester, although I haven’t posted alot in these forums I do read them everyday and would like to offer my time in order to make Football Manager even better and I would work hard to achieve this. Like most people I have been playing the series for a long time and I have a good understanding of the game. I have experience of testing software and games for other companies therefore I am able to identify bugs either by working as part of a team or individually and present them in a relevant manner and forward to the correct department/programmer.

My biggest gripe of this version has been the graphical issues, for example on my computer I get black and white flashing in 3D view, as someone who likes to watch as many full matches as I can this has prevented it as none of patches have fixed the issue.

Another gripe I have is in the match engine, specifically with one on ones, although I feel it is the most realistic match engine on the market this is an area that needs improving (I feel there are too many one on ones per match rather than the actual misses).

Thank You

Chris

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hey i would like to be a BETA tester for future versions because i have been beta testing FML for around 8 months and didnt treat it like a free game unlike others. i believe that i can help make the Game better and have a great passion for football manager (its like a religion lol) i really think that i can bring something to the BETA testing and make it a better game for everyone who plays it

kind regards

dave summers

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I would like to be considered as I do software testing for SONY and have done for last 7 years. I have played FM/CM since they were first released and have enjoyed them all. I have only recently joined the forums but already love it. I feel i can contribute alot to this game.

Kind Regards

Charlie M

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I would like to be considered, as a feel I have a lot to contribute with. I were a part of your testing team for 08, and after a bit of "down-time" I'm now available for duty again ;) I've played the game since the first release, feel that I can contribute with constructive feedback, and would be very happy to be able to take part of future development.

I don't have any big issues with this game, which actually is the first time for the latest releases. On the other hand there is quite a few minor ones, and I will post my thoughts on those later.

Best regards

Thomas

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i would like to considered because i think i have good knowledge of football which i watch a lot so i think i know how the game could be improved Ive being playing football manager since cm4 so i think i know a lot about the game and where it could be made better and what could be done different in the patches to make the game better than it already is and i don't just watch football i watch how the teams line up the formation the way they play thanks

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I'd like to become a beta tester for SI. lol

we are unoffical football manager chinese localization team since CM4 ^_^ , and we having plenty of experience and foresight on areas the game could improve. Thanks for giving the chance to become beta testers.

Regards

Ballpump Studio.

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Beta Group,

I think some volunteer beta testing would be mutually rewarding. I'm an American footie fan, and FM fan since FM06. I'm not afraid to be critical, or supportive. I've a background in Computer Science. Though I don't have the millions of hours I used to have to dedicate to gaming, I do truly enjoy giving back to the games and communities that I've participated in.

My biggest gripe so far with FM 2009 (though I've only had it a few days) is the conservative expansion of the franchise. I think FM could grow more creatively and less bureaucratically, style-wise. IE, discarding the less fun 'modules' and replacing the whole kit with a new take on things. I fear that the series will not keep up with the times because it hasn't become what it could. Though history seems to prove me wrong, I'll continue to wring my hands about it!

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Dear SI

I wish to be considered for a place on the Beta Testing group.

I have bought the CM/FM games from the very early days when Kevin Toms and addictive games were involved on the ZX Spectrum through the Amiga days (with multi disc change), 1 divorce and two kids later i'm still hooked on the game. At 42 years old I would like to have a oppurtunity to help in any way I can to improve the product.

Year on Year I have seen many changes over the years but you can always tell that it's Football Manager, I would be delighted to help in any area that could improve and tweak the game for future gamers, such as my Sons who are hooked on Football Manager too.

I enjoy gaming and love my Football, the two go together so well.

I have plenty of time to be a Beta Tester and it will be a taken seriously.

Kind Regards

P.R Blenkinsop

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