Football Manager 2021 Early Access Beta Official Feedback Thread

[RorysRocketThrow]

Love the new match engine.  It is lovely and smooth already, with no doubt further optimisation over the next few weeks.  Love the fact that the game has had lots of marginal tweaks and optimisations, with a few smaller added features.  Lots of people might feel a bit cheated but I genuinely think the game has needed this kind of 'smaller update' for a long time.  That said, it is no mean feet to release a game of this size under the current restrictions we are all working.

Working in software as I do, I know only too well the challenges the industry as a whole has faced.

Seriously well done SI.  Top job on this one.

[martinobremnato1]

my god it's lightning fast!

[Dagenham_Dave]

That's weird, first game, went straight to 'kick off' without any pre match build up, team line ups or even taking me to the squad selection screen. Is this just because it's the intra-squad friendly and you choose the line ups beforehand?

[jdubsnz]

Can’t get out out of full screen mode, won’t give me the option to select windowed. Have tried adjusting the scaling, that doesn’t work. Have to click about a centimetre above everything!

[TAV2]

I am old school and like to view matches in 2D Classic. Why does it look worse than games made 7 years ago? Seems like I'm getting pushed to watch 3d. Sigh.

[Daveincid]

Just a quick feedback about processing-speed.....guys....what have you done? All leagues loaded, fulll detail, 190k players and it's superfast! Well done, well done

[XaW]

13 minutes ago, fidelitywars said:

Is there a way of not selecting a team to manage at game start-up? Previous versions used to do this annoying 'lock you into a decision' nonsense but FM20 didn't - has it reverted?

You can chose "pick later" when setting the game up. Or just unemployed from the drop down up left when choosing club or international.

[Icy]

First impression, I LOVE the interface, looks really great in a macbook retina screen, never thought I would like the purple scheme this much. It's crisp clear, and the transparencies look very modern. Congrats!

[pizzachips]

Played  a game and got to hand a massive kudos to SI

The below middle graph " we are misplacing way to many passes" obviously is intended as a value add but I cant extract that value add based on dozens of lines and numbers.

Perhaps a synopsis of who is misplacing % wise or number etc or what part of the pitch i.e an executive summary  could be more beneficial to the manager

[sedge11]

8 minutes ago, Dagenham_Dave said:

Also, that's the most immersed I've ever been in the new job press conference. The difference may be mostly visual, but it certainly feels like a lot of thought has gone into it. 

Agree with this, the press conferences feel so much better, actually makes you want to do more instead of just giving them to the assistant.

 

[trekman]

1 hour ago, Cro-cop said:

It looks incredible. And it runs so much faster! 

Thats the first thing that I noticed. Its way quicker than fm20 if the star ratings are anything to go by. Maybe it also helped that I updated by graphics drivers this morning as well.

[Dagenham_Dave]

They've taken away the option to reverse the camera angle. I hate watching games when the sun is in front of you, always looks much nicer when it's behind you. Why take that option away? Also, I like to change it based on what side the camera is on in real life. 

Another niggle is the info between highlights screen, I can't seem to find any way to have both line ups side by side with player ratings, I can only customise the left hand side of the 'tablet'. 

[Dagenham_Dave]

Nope, not a fan of the matchday UI at all, I'm afraid. 

[martinobremnato1]

You have gone and done it S.I this is immense!

[jdubsnz]

14 minutes ago, Roy Race 9 said:

 

even the continue button isnt showing up??

did you manage to find a workaround? Can't get out of full screen mode, windowed isnt an option so game is too big for the screen

[trekman]

49 minutes ago, briansteel071280 said:

Hi,

Getting crash dump screen already and just downloaded the game. I'm also struggling to fit the screen to the size of the game. I play my pc on a 55 inch tv. I can get it to fit partly but when i go back and forward from the game to the internet the screen is totally skewed and unreadable. Maybe my own fault for playing it on such a big screen ha ha!

Make sure you're graphics card drivers are fully up to date. Also if you have a virus program running make sure that it ignores any FM folders when scanning. This has caused issues in past versions of the game.

1 hour ago, Steve1977beyond said:

Is this a BETA of the full game? So if I play it I can add extra leagues as normal?

Yes.

1 hour ago, bigmattb28 said:

Yes and no. It’s a beta of the full game

but no extra leagues until the editor comes out on the 24th

Thats not true. I was able to add other leagues and change database size before starting. If you cant do this then i'd suggest logging this as an error

[pizzachips]

I think the idea was to replicate a dressing room visual but I did prefer having all players lined up under one another to view mood & ratings post match

This way I find my eyes having to move all over the screen & isnt yet working for me

An option for both would be cool

[Seb Wassell]

16 minutes ago, Dagenham_Dave said:

That's weird, first game, went straight to 'kick off' without any pre match build up, team line ups or even taking me to the squad selection screen. Is this just because it's the intra-squad friendly and you choose the line ups beforehand?

Yep, the intra-squad friendly is its own beast and has a different (unique) flow compared to other matches.

[Dagenham_Dave]

Gah, they've even removed the option to add widgets to the 2D view - unless I'm completely missing it. 

Match engine itself looks great so far, but the whole matchday experience is lacking. I hope these things are fixed by release. I hate to say it, but this area feels really rushed. 

[h3nrique_SEP]

During pre season

The game is broken 

[bastie]

Having the same problem as a few others on here with the screen, tried changing to windowed then back to full screen and then settling on 85% but problem came back again when in the game 

[IrrelevantLion]

19 minutes ago, jdubsnz said:

Can’t get out out of full screen mode, won’t give me the option to select windowed. Have tried adjusting the scaling, that doesn’t work. Have to click about a centimetre above everything!

ALT+ENTER?

[Pattric_b]

Is this real 😂 

[SmurfDude]

The speed of saving/loading is insanely fast!

[metal_guitarist]

The scaling issues need raising in the Bugs Forum please guys- https://community.sigames.com/forum/770-football-manager-2021-early-access-beta-bugs-forum/

[Balotelli]

It wont launch for me. It downloaded fine and worked straight away, then crashed when loading up the advanced settings of the new career screen. Since then it wont launch?

Edited November 10, 2020 by Balotelli

[Ben111]

Hi all, 

Have tried using logo's and a facepack but they aren't appearing in game. I have done this for years through FM, but its not appearing for some reason. I have tried everything, clear cache, everything. Unless its something I'm missing? Doesn't make sense. 

[BruceyNTFC]

Really impressed. Looks great, plays great, and the immersion is already far better, especially in regards to transfers and press conferences. They might be small changes, but that shift has brought the player into the room so to speak. 

Only done one game in match engine, but I've been really impressed by what I've seen. Couple of cute little passes between defenders, players working to retain the ball in the centre of the pitch, it just feels like a football game. 

[southside]

41 minutes ago, pizzachips said:

 

Perhaps intentional, but I notice camera zoom doesnt work under camera " sideline" 

Mine hasnt downloaded yet but hopefully this is temporary same with another poster saying about not being able to reverse the view, as a celtic fan i simply couldnt play with the camera facing the dugout

[Dagenham_Dave]

Ok, overall matchday feedback after 1 game in pre-season

Pros

Looks nice

Match Engine is smooth, and looks at an early glance to be an improvement on FM20

Having the players at the bottom of the screen makes it much easier to quick sub, or give individual shouts

 

Cons

No widgets in 2d mode

No ability at any point to have both team line ups side by side showing player ratings

Lack of 'reverse view' in the 3D view

Lots of dead screen on the in-between view during a screen, particularly under the match stats bit on the left. 

Subs only mentioned in commentary without a pop up box

Lighting not great making it difficult to follow the ball in 3D (FM19 had perfect lighting)

 

Not impressed with this part of the game so far. Will require skinners and modders to improve a lot of this, I reckon. 

 

[Zek]

Wow, the first time the 3D ME isn't lagging on my not-so-great laptop. Saving also goes really fast. Well done, SI!

Also, happy Canada is a vanilla game league now. Was worried it would stay as a Steam Workshop download, but it's always nice to get new playable leagues from the start. Hope this and the Welsh second tier last year means we'll see more new playable leagues in future versions.

[frog-kvfb]

Loving it so far great job again si

[Iwabik]

Why did you remove the option to pick attributes by role? It was soo useful

[SazoJohnno]

Okay my first impressions so far. 

The game is incredibly lightening quick, it is unbelievable so well done with the background work on that! I am immensely impressed. 

Had a look around before I started a long term save until I realised I overlooked a single thing in the notes - Ajax had no staff, which is down to me for not reading it properly. I suppose it add to the challenge I am facing though! 

 

All the issues I see my friends mentioning has already been raised by other people. I cannot fault the game so far. Well done and keep this up! 

[Freakiie]

Slowly working my way through the first days, I like the new team meetings, feels much more meaningful than the old "Lemme reiterate that we'll be champions. Again." stuff we had before.

First press conference as well and I'm not sure whether I like the way gestures and questions/answers combine. For example I was asked about interest in one of my players whom I have no intention of letting go, but if I want to say "I'm keeping him" I have to use a positive gesture, because with a "negative" gesture my only possible answers were along the lines off "yep, will be looking to sell him". Why can't I respond to that question in a negative manner, because I think the question is ridiculous? You know, slam fist on the table and go "no way am I selling him, what are you even talking about"?

Oh and curious about the database, is the DB we currently have the mostly final DB for release or can we still expect to see some changes?

[DP]

Can you still add custom logos and face packs? Wasn’t there talk this could be made more difficult for this version?

[LJH23]

Early feedback from me is that this is incredible. 

The whole matchday experience and graphics feels so much "crisper" and so much faster, the press conference system feels so much better too. 

Great job! Miles asked the question "does this feel like a game made in the middle of a pandemic?" the answer....absolutely not! 

 

[Seb Wassell]

2 minutes ago, Freakiie said:

First press conference as well and I'm not sure whether I like the way gestures and questions/answers combine. For example I was asked about interest in one of my players whom I have no intention of letting go, but if I want to say "I'm keeping him" I have to use a positive gesture, because with a "negative" gesture my only possible answers were along the lines off "yep, will be looking to sell him". Why can't I respond to that question in a negative manner, because I think the question is ridiculous? You know, slam fist on the table and go "no way am I selling him, what are you even talking about"?

Worth raising this one here please - https://community.sigames.com/forum/807-dynamics-interactions-press-conferences-and-meetings/ - something we may be able to investigate.

[SmurfDude]

8 matches played. The ME is incredible. The few issues I had from 2020 appear to have been resolved (not a single instance of a winger running in to the box and smashing it in to the side netting from an impossible angle!!) The new animations help too of course. Incredible work, especially given the challenges this year

[Martini]

I thought that Gibraltar was included  

[OlivierL]

4 minutes ago, DP said:

Can you still add custom logos and face packs? Wasn’t there talk this could be made more difficult for this version?

no problem, more difficult to publish them on the fan sites, but at the end.. everything is available to download.

[Raymond85]

2 minuti fa, SmurfDude ha scritto:

not a single instance of a winger running in to the box and smashing it in to the side netting from an impossible angle!!

well, got it in my intra squad match as my only highlight of the whole match, losing 1-0 to my second eleven, with my usual direct positive tactic. Not impressed yet, but will give it some time

[Braincomplexa]

21 minutes ago, Ben111 said:

Hi all, 

Have tried using logo's and a facepack but they aren't appearing in game. I have done this for years through FM, but its not appearing for some reason. I have tried everything, clear cache, everything. Unless its something I'm missing? Doesn't make sense. 

Restarting the game worked for me 👍

[Wavelberry]

Just seen Donnarumma run down his contract at the end of the first season. Seems a bit suss.

[Johnny Ace]

Same as you @Dagenham_Dave, I spent most of my first friendly trying to sort the UI

So, there's no widgets? 

Big waste of space under the match stats on the left, I was trying to figure out how to customise this to fill it out a bit & found you can customise the right hand side match stats so the left hand side stats are now pointless 

I'm pretty sure my winner was scored through the post, so I'm replaying in slow-mo trying to find an angle where I can see it clearly & because I can't reverse the camera view, I can't see whether it did or not 

Lots to like here but not impressed with the above 

ETA: First game was a barn burner, won 4-3 after being 3-2 down even if the winner was a bit dodgy 

Edited November 10, 2020 by Johnny Ace

[dcu223]

Missing my Widgets and my condition stat has now changed to a varying green shaded Heart. I now make subs based on pop up advice rather than deciding myself when the old condition rating dropped below a certain value. Super Quick though and like the official team Sheet.

[michaeltmurrayuk]

1 hour ago, Dagenham_Dave said:

I think the star ratings for role suitability are going to get confusing with star ratings for coach/scout reports. You could have a 1 star player who is 5 stars for being a poacher for example. I'd have preferred a separate icon, whether it was the circles or something new. 

 

EDIT - Having looked through a few players, not sure that's how it's working. 

Role Rating System has changed for FM21 to try and reflect you don't need to play players in their 'best' role.

Role Stars should be linked to the CA Stars - so a 3 Star Striker would get 3 Stars for Poacher if that was his best role and say 2 Stars for Target Man if he wasn't suited to that role, so it shouldn't be possible to have a 1 star Striker rated as 5 stars for Poacher.

Should also make it easier to compare your players as it should now be clearer that a 5 star Striker with a 3 star rating for Poacher is better than a 3 Star Striker who has 2 Stars as a Poacher, but a 4 star Striker rated as 4 Star Poacher would be better than either of the others.

[KlaaZ]

6 minutes ago, SmurfDude said:

8 matches played. The ME is incredible. The few issues I had from 2020 appear to have been resolved (not a single instance of a winger running in to the box and smashing it in to the side netting from an impossible angle!!) The new animations help too of course. Incredible work, especially given the challenges this year

Agreed. Just played my first game with FC Kobenhavn and I noticed Wind, who is one of the better DLF's statwise in the game, is finally very involved as a pivot for the rest of the team. I also scored from a lovely through ball in close space, another thing that was missing in FM20.

If this keeps up, I'm going to like this very much. Also a big fan of the way press conferences and player interaction has been redone, really makes you feel like every choice you make matters.

[Melroseby]

9 minutes ago, DP said:

Can you still add custom logos and face packs? Wasn’t there talk this could be made more difficult for this version?

Added mine from FM20 without any issues, all logos and faces working

[dcu223]

Oh and i miss the timeline as found it useful to replay some goals. Unable to do that now.