*Official* Football Manager 2023 Early Access Beta Feedback Thread

[KamyKaze]

58 minutes ago, kertiek said:

my two main frustrations currently

- playing with MC advanced playmakers on attack, they always run to the center forward position in every play and rarely participate in the build up, they end up mostly playing  as a second forward, am playing an advanced playmaker on the MC position to make them participate more in the buildup with the mentality as attacking as possible so they would try risky Through balls from deep positions (so they have a more attacking mentality than a deep lying playmaker on support) but just refuse to collaborate in build up, even with the instruction "hold position"  they just ignore it and run forward every time and stay there holding hands with the center forward while zero participation in the midfield.

- inside forwards on support have "get further forward" instruction locked which make them to not participate at all in the buildup, but inverted wingers on support dont have it locked, this forces me to play inverted wingers  on support and add "cross less often", this is the only way i found to workaround this problem so my AML/AMR stop trying to run forward every play and instead they stay a little more deep to collaborate more in the buildup, i think the IF on support shouldnt have "get further forward " instruction locked.

at least for me the behavior of those two roles are the main problem am seeing with the lack of central play with my formation (4-1-2-2-1), the players just run forward and refuse to participate in the build up, they just wait there on the opposition defensive line with no real participation in the build up.

Try to drop the mentality a bit. It might help them not run up the field so much

[Aoyao]

On 21/10/2022 at 02:55, GOODNAME said:

ME looks fantastic!

See a lot of dribbles  

a lot of long pass

[Powermonger]

6 hours ago, johnnyyakuza78 said:

I think the game needs a massive UI overhaul if you ask me. It is starting to remind me of what happened to programs like Word or Photoshop, where endless features were added and hidden away, and only power users knew where they were or what they did, so that they could cater for everyone. It's my job so I tend to notice these things, but I feel like if they went back to the drawing board and removed 75% of the screens of this game it would be a lot better. They could make screens far more intuitive and easy to understand. Right now I tend to just ignore everything and hit the big flashy button. Do I need to read pages of text every time something happens? Does anybody read all this stuff?!

Agree fully. The UI needs a complete revamp and some much needed streamlining as well as a graphical uplift. There is too much dependence on emails to deliver information and there is no real flow to the UI, several areas jocky for attention.

One thing FM lacks is good data visualisation elements, too much is presented as text and not enough in visually appealling charts or pictorial elements. All the text becomes fatiguing. 

[jimbo22]

Anyone seen this...

Was in the Champions League, finished 3rd so dropped into the Europa League first knockout stage. Got knocked out in that round but my board has said that i failed to "reach at least the knockout stage of the Europa League" 

[rusty217]

13 hours ago, DrIgz said:

I agree with this. I thought there was a data lock which would be well before October 24. In other words, we get the world as it was, let's say, at the end of the summer transfer window. Managers who are sacked a third of the way into the season should still be at their clubs at the start of the game. Then they can be removed at the winter update.

My other concern here is how this is done. Last year (FM22) there were issues with coaches who were removed in this way by SI had their histories all messed up. Ole was one of them. If you went into his history, it sort of didn't have an end date to his time at Man United. There were many other, lower profile managers who had similar issues. I know it's not game breaking, but it does mess with immersion.

I hope that Steven Gerard will at least not have any mention of Aston Villa in his history, as he technically never went there if they remove him at the start of the game.

Yep, I remember that issue last year. Some of the histories are already messed up on this one. Potter doesn't have an actual start date at Chelsea, just 2022, so the duration at team section for him is broken. Not sure about Tuchel, he's already retired in my save, but it does say he left Chelsea in July 2022, which is just flat out wrong.

Plus you can end up with silly situations where managers get sacked way too soon. eg. Potter in my save was sacked in December, so only 3 months into the job? Or even worse was Rangnick last year. He was sacked by December pretty consistently in my saves, he only took the job 29th Nov IRL!

[luka_zg]

Anyone ever had any success with using preset tactics? Whenever I use a preset counter attacking tactic, I just get battered by the AI. Makes me wonder what's the use of those? They clearly are not working at all.

[phnompenhandy]

10 hours ago, johnnyyakuza78 said:

I'm going to be honest that I haven't had time to play Fm23 as much as I would like so I'm really going on my first impressions which might change over time. 
*Disclaimer my last version was FM21.

My overall impression is.. what changed? I know that is my general reaction to most versions of the game which is why I tend to skip at least one year each time. FM21 had some nice changes and alterations to the UI which I thought were clunky and annoying and didn't make sense, and which seem to have been carried through to this version.

So far I've really only noticed:
 

• Changes to the way pressing is presented, which I like. It feels a lot more logical and less of an effort to translate exactly what is being described in the team instructions. It's pretty superficial however
• The Squad planner is the feature I was most interested in. I'm quite unhappy that it seems to have replaced the feature I used the most in previous versions: Squad Depth. Why can I only see one position at a time?! What is the point? Or I can try and view it horizontally which makes me want to tilt my head to the screen. I'm absolutely baffled by this change. It all feels so convoluted and much harder to understand than the simple squad depth screen. What is this obsession SI have with making a basic pitch screen with your players laid out on it a secondary view, they did it with tactics so that I have to expand it each time just to see my tactics. Why would I prefer to look at a list view as my primary view of my players?!
• Supporters stuff. Seems like a rebadge of other things happening in the game, I can't see me ever even looking at it
• Scouting I heard has changed, but I can't see how really. Seems just as convoluted and annoying as ever.
   

I saw a video from one of the devs talking about how their goal is to reduce the whole 'click click click' behaviour of just wading through your emails until you see something useful. So far that is exactly what I am doing. I'm still getting a lot of pointless emails, hitting space to get through them. 

I think the game needs a massive UI overhaul if you ask me. It is starting to remind me of what happened to programs like Word or Photoshop, where endless features were added and hidden away, and only power users knew where they were or what they did, so that they could cater for everyone. It's my job so I tend to notice these things, but I feel like if they went back to the drawing board and removed 75% of the screens of this game it would be a lot better. They could make screens far more intuitive and easy to understand. Right now I tend to just ignore everything and hit the big flashy button. Do I need to read pages of text every time something happens? Does anybody read all this stuff?!

So overall. I have no idea if this version is good or not, it doesn't seem very different and all the same problems remain. I still love the game don't get me wrong, but it could be really improved with a bit of design bravery.

That's very much my thinking, as a fellow FM21 player, but Rashidi of BusttheNet (and nobody understanding the ME better than him) has posted a video which has me close to getting FM23. I'll wait for reports on the full-fat version before making a decision. The video is here:

MAJOR MATCH ENGINE CHANGES - #FM23

Edited October 25, 2022 by phnompenhandy

[Powermonger]

12 minutes ago, phnompenhandy said:

That's very much my thinking, as a fellow FM21 player, but Rashidi of BusttheNet (and nobody understanding the ME better than him) has posted a video which has me close to getting FM23. I'll wait for reports on the full-fat version before making a decision. The video is here:

MAJOR MATCH ENGINE CHANGES - #FM23

I will never not upvote an endorsement for @Rashidi He has worked tirelessly in his love for FM for years. 

[d d]

21 minutes ago, luka_zg said:

Anyone ever had any success with using preset tactics? Whenever I use a preset counter attacking tactic, I just get battered by the AI. Makes me wonder what's the use of those? They clearly are not working at all.

I am having better luck with the pre set tactics than i did last version. Done two teams flying at the top of the league. Both teams mid table expectancy by the board.

[Vali184]

4 hours ago, Aoyao said:

a lot of long pass

The long passes in the ME were intentionally introduced to facilitate Haaland to score 50+ goals a season... Without this flaw in the ME I am 100% sure he wouldn't score so much.

Look at other strikers too. The number of goals are exaggerated. Ronaldo is back to his best form, even better.

Edited October 25, 2022 by Vali184

[johnnyyakuza78]

1 hour ago, phnompenhandy said:

That's very much my thinking, as a fellow FM21 player, but Rashidi of BusttheNet (and nobody understanding the ME better than him) has posted a video which has me close to getting FM23. I'll wait for reports on the full-fat version before making a decision. The video is here:

MAJOR MATCH ENGINE CHANGES - #FM23

Thanks. I know a lot of work and emphasis goes into the match engine to really make it better each year, and thats not surprising as it's what a lot of people talk about and complain about. I barely tend to even notice that if I'm honest as I mostly watch on extended and view the whole game in a more abstract fashion. I don't actually take what happens on the pitch that seriously if that makes sense. 

Thats why I think that bigger questions about what can be changed about the game should be addressed at some point, rather than the same tweaking we get each year.

[albertluque]

So the leaderboards are a complete waste of time aren't they? Completely pointless. 

[Choi seung won]

Are there any improvements related to stadiums in fm23 this time?

Can you see the various stadium styles??

In particular, are the stadiums in the lower leagues properly implemented?

[angelo994]

I tried to get into my second season last night but really struggled to play. My motivation has been quite low due to the negativity about the game this year. I can’t find myself to play due to all the issues we’ve identified in this thread. I really feel we’ve hit a point of major stagnation. Several things are just holding back FM & is keeping the game firmly stuck in the past. Things like the UI, player interactions, set pieces. We’ve all said it a million times before. I just wonder what the tipping point will be for FM. The game really needs to evolve for the future in many ways. God knows I love FM. It’s my favourite game of all time. But how long can we really put up with the same thing over and over again? 

Edited October 25, 2022 by angelo994

[Crusho79bv]

2 hours ago, phnompenhandy said:

That's very much my thinking, as a fellow FM21 player, but Rashidi of BusttheNet (and nobody understanding the ME better than him) has posted a video which has me close to getting FM23. I'll wait for reports on the full-fat version before making a decision. The video is here:

MAJOR MATCH ENGINE CHANGES - #FM23

Stop believing all these people that make money on promoting FM...

The ME and the 3D Engine are the same for at least 3 years, with minor tweaks every year 

There is nothing "WOW" factor about FM23 mate, stop believing everything BustTheNet is saying 

There are issues since FM20 that are not fixed, it`s the same old story...

[FM1000]

1 hour ago, phnompenhandy said:

That's very much my thinking, as a fellow FM21 player, but Rashidi of BusttheNet (and nobody understanding the ME better than him) has posted a video which has me close to getting FM23. I'll wait for reports on the full-fat version before making a decision. The video is here:

MAJOR MATCH ENGINE CHANGES - #FM23

So from this video he says that the list of ME changes is long...which means he has seen the list???

Mentally is reworked but not a single mention/guide by official SI staff on how and what is changed?? Should we find out our selves?

Like it's my day job, find out how or why a certain software feature works lol 😂.

Can us mere mortals also see list of ME changes from FM 22 to FM23??

[andu1]

AI managers are still too dependent on their primary pref tactic. Even if they lose game after game, they will not even try to use their second pref as a starting formation. I thought smarter AI managers was a headline feature? Right now they act the same way like they always have.

I hope it's just a beta thing.

[phnompenhandy]

18 minutes ago, FM1000 said:

So from this video he says that the list of ME changes is long...which means he has seen the list???

Mentally is reworked but not a single mention/guide by official SI staff on how and what is changed?? Should we find out our selves?

Like it's my day job, find out how or why a certain software feature works lol 😂.

Can us mere mortals also see list of ME changes from FM 22 to FM23??

This is why I follow the known experts with inside knowledge on YouTube videos.

[phnompenhandy]

20 minutes ago, Crusho79bv said:

Stop believing all these people that make money on promoting FM...

You've not heard the phrase "SEEING is believing" then? Anyway, I said I have my doubts and that this video contributes to my assessment. Is it wrong to have an open mind?

[forameuss]

28 minutes ago, angelo994 said:

I tried to get into my second season last night but really struggled to play. My motivation has been quite low due to the negativity about the game this year. I can’t find myself to play due to all the issues we’ve identified in this thread. I really feel we’ve hit a point of major stagnation. Several things are just holding back FM & is keeping the game firmly stuck in the past. Things like the UI, player interactions, set pieces. We’ve all said it a million times before. I just wonder what the tipping point will be for FM. The game really needs to evolve for the future in many ways. God knows I love FM. It’s my favourite game of all time. But how long can we really put up with the same thing over and over again? 

Well if you keep buying a product that apparently hasn't changed in years, probably as long as you do that.

7 minutes ago, phnompenhandy said:

This is why I follow the known experts with inside knowledge on YouTube videos.

Given there's a completely free demo coming in a couple of weeks, why not wait for the most insider knowledge of all - your own?  You're hardly alone in that thinking, but it seems more and more the case now that people are completely abandoning forming their own opinions and taking other people's.  You might try and demo and think it's an absolute turd not worth your time, or you might find it scratches the itch perfectly.  I've never understood why what someone else thinks - regardless of if they play FM for a job or are just a stranger on a forum - has such a bearing on what an individual thinks.

[grasu]

6 minutes ago, forameuss said:

Given there's a completely free demo coming in a couple of weeks, why not wait for the most insider knowledge of all - your own?  You're hardly alone in that thinking, but it seems more and more the case now that people are completely abandoning forming their own opinions and taking other people's.  You might try and demo and think it's an absolute turd not worth your time, or you might find it scratches the itch perfectly.  I've never understood why what someone else thinks - regardless of if they play FM for a job or are just a stranger on a forum - has such a bearing on what an individual thinks.

There is a very good reason to not do that: the game is more expensive after it's released. With the preorder you get a lot of discounts. Even Steam offers a 20% off deal if you preorder. So, while it's nice that SI still does a demo, if you're interested in buying you will probably be better off doing so before the game is released.

[SeaCarrot]

4 minutes ago, grasu said:

There is a very good reason to not do that: the game is more expensive after it's released. With the preorder you get a lot of discounts. Even Steam offers a 20% off deal if you preorder. So, while it's nice that SI still does a demo, if you're interested in buying you will probably be better off doing so before the game is released.

Always possible to get at least 25% off at places like Fanatical. Never buy from steam, always the most expensive option. 

[phnompenhandy]

17 minutes ago, forameuss said:

Well if you keep buying a product that apparently hasn't changed in years, probably as long as you do that.

Given there's a completely free demo coming in a couple of weeks, why not wait for the most insider knowledge of all - your own?  You're hardly alone in that thinking, but it seems more and more the case now that people are completely abandoning forming their own opinions and taking other people's.  You might try and demo and think it's an absolute turd not worth your time, or you might find it scratches the itch perfectly.  I've never understood why what someone else thinks - regardless of if they play FM for a job or are just a stranger on a forum - has such a bearing on what an individual thinks.

Yes, I will be trying the demo, but there are always subtleties in the ME that I'm likely to miss that the experts spot. I don't see what's objectionable to watching videos and seeing what's going on, to supplement my own experience.

[forameuss]

10 minutes ago, grasu said:

There is a very good reason to not do that: the game is more expensive after it's released. With the preorder you get a lot of discounts. Even Steam offers a 20% off deal if you preorder. So, while it's nice that SI still does a demo, if you're interested in buying you will probably be better off doing so before the game is released.

If the need to save 20% overrides the need to see whether you're entirely wasting your money or not, then that's a you problem and you kind of forfeit the right to complain.  I see where you're coming from, but the tools are there to get a good idea of whether the product is worth your money.  

Just now, phnompenhandy said:

Yes, I will be trying the demo, but there are always subtleties in the ME that I'm likely to miss that the experts spot. I don't see what's objectionable to watching videos and seeing what's going on, to supplement my own experience.

In that case, you're not part of what I'm saying.  It's those that don't use it to supplement, but as the entire basis.  I get the subtleties part, but at the same time it can often lead the thinking, much like visiting here will.  There will be people who don't watch YouTubers, don't visit here, and who happily play the game blissfully unaware of any problems in the game.  It's like the slightly squint bannister that you never noticed, but now can't not notice.  Would it have been better just to trust your own eyes and enjoy it, or hear someone else's words and ruin it?

Edited October 25, 2022 by forameuss

[phnompenhandy]

Just now, forameuss said:

If the need to save 20% overrides the need to see whether you're entirely wasting your money or not, then that's a you problem and you kind of forfeit the right to complain.  I see where you're coming from, but the tools are there to get a good idea of whether the product is worth your money.  

Heh, if we're going down that road, I might as well confess I'll be paying in $$, so thanks to your Truss and Kwarteng, I'll be paying not much over half what you Brits are coughing up!

[Vali184]

1 hour ago, Crusho79bv said:

Stop believing all these people that make money on promoting FM...

The ME and the 3D Engine are the same for at least 3 years, with minor tweaks every year 

There is nothing "WOW" factor about FM23 mate, stop believing everything BustTheNet is saying 

There are issues since FM20 that are not fixed, it`s the same old story...

There are issues since FM2017 that are not fixed*

[Tyburn]

I’m hoping a coding dev sees this post.

Back in FM21 (I did not own FM22) I asked, as a request, that the recruitment focus drop down builder panel be more easily editable for skinning. There were a few places that were hard coded.

I am not sure if this got implemented in FM22 but to my absolute delight, in FM23, this panel is now fully editable.

So kudos to you, SI, for what was I thought, at the time, a very small request that would take a miracle to be looked at. Not saying my request was the reason for this change, but happy to see it nonetheless.

For anyone interested it has enabled me to remove the ability stars search criteria. Quite a big deal if you play without stars and attributes!

Bit off topic, but figured this thread was being looked at.

Thanks again.

[Domoboy23]

I, for one, don't wish to see big change year after year.

I don't really care about graphics. Let's be honest, FM is a spreadsheet calculator. It revolves around data and imagination (sometimes I used 2D, sometimes 3D). That's the beauty of it. The focal point of the game/series needs to be around getting the data right and the stats that then come from this data for the user to interpret and for the ME/Game to do it's thang. I don't want FIFA graphics. That's not important. A good ME is the priority (after all, you can spend 95% of the rest of your time signing players, looking at stats and loving it) but the focal point HAS to be the match at the end of the week. If the ME isn't right or doesn't have enough variety from game-to-game, with players displaying their unique footprints on the match (FM13 was great for being able to identify a player, even a newgen by his style of play on the pitch) it makes everything else stale. I would also like to say I don't want to customize my avatar. Or give him a watch. Or a hairstyle. I'm sitting in front of my computer playing the game, I shouldn't need that for immersion (and it adds nothing). Please take time from these efforts and if you have to put them into something graphical... put them into the newgen avatars. They add something and a level of immersion. The NEWGAN stuff is incredible, being able to put a personality and a face to your players you nurture and grow is incredible. Even if they do end up bombing out at Kettering Town 4 years after making their L1 debut! I do have doubts of the direction of SI in the long-term especially seeing the lean to a lot of these new features that don't add anything for most. I think the yearly eyebrow avatar post displaying improvements to a pointless manager avatar on twitter just shouts either the arrogance of ones own desires or inability to read the audience.

I want small, gradual improvement that takes into account past issues/bugs and user feedback. For example, I'd much rather each edition focused around a perfect an ME as much as possible incorporating more variety and stability than the previous (for example, next steps dribbling AT players) and gradual improvements to interactions/development for long-term saves.

That being said, if someone were to tear up the whole match day UI and put it in room 101 to never be seen again. That's a big change I'd welcome. Probably my biggest gripe is the fact that the majority of people have been slamming how awful the match day UI has been since it changed (was it FM20?) in terms of ease of use and getting information from it and yet 3 years down the line no-one held their hands up and retrospectively reverted or seemingly made any changes the users want!

That being said, apart from the tech development bug (I'm not getting into a debate, it is a game-breaker and I'm strongly of the opinion when a fix is ready to be tested out-of-house whether that's in 24 hours or 10 days, it should be updated regardless of waiting for full release date) probably the best beta of the past few years! 

[Jonthedon26]

9 hours ago, Fabregas_04 said:

The more I play the more angry and frustrated I get with defensive play in general. It feels like the only viable way of playing successfully is to go all out attack and hope you get fewer defensive **** ups than the opposition.

Be interested to hear/see what tactics you are playing. Not saying the issue you have come across is because of your tactics, but in my Birmingham City save my team is ultra boring and never score or concede more than 1 a game pretty much. Wondering if I have managed to stumble across a tactic that negates this issue. 

[ImDaWeasel]

5 hours ago, jimbo22 said:

Anyone seen this...

Was in the Champions League, finished 3rd so dropped into the Europa League first knockout stage. Got knocked out in that round but my board has said that i failed to "reach at least the knockout stage of the Europa League" 

When you finish 3rd in the champions league group stages you have to qualify against a 2nd place Europa league team to make the knockout stages.

[albertluque]

Given the recent prominence of set piece coaches you'd imagine they'd revamp the set piece system. It's the same as it was in 2005 I swear. 

[Double0Seven]

Funny, this youth developement bug remembered me of FM22 where it was also an issue. And FM21. 

 

The funny part is that the exact same person (LeoFM in FM21 pointed out in latest reply of first thread how it is still an issue) is pointing out again how it is broken. 3 years guys. And people really believe this would be fixed in 2 weeks when they cant fix some of these youth development bugs in years? I would be happy if they could, but think logical for a moment. 

 

Edited October 25, 2022 by Double0Seven

[johnnyyakuza78]

So after a little discussion on new updates for FM23 I realised that I felt a little disappointed that there haven't been any radical changes to the actual way the game is played since.. well a very long time. I've played this game since it was Championship Manager, which is decades! The core of the game is very similar, but each year new features are added, things are imperceptibly tweaked under the hood, the interface changes a bit.

Over time the game has grown and grown, but it's also very similar.

The way I play the game is also very similar, no matter what version I'm on. 

There are some things I do a lot

• Play with my tactics on the tactics screen
• Look at my players
• Go to my inbox and hit space thousands of times to get through my emails
• Play a football match
• Go to my inbox and hit space thousands of times to get through my emails

 

There are some things I might do a few times a season such as

• Look at staff
• Sort out my training
• Check my finances 
• Do scouting
   

And there are A LOT of other things in the game that I never do. There are a lot of screens I never use, there are screens I did not know exist. I could easily get lost in the game, but I don't because I stick to what I know and don't venture too far. 

It occurred to me that the game has a lot of bloat and it is unwieldy. I said in another thread that it reminded me of Microsoft products like Word, where the core functionality of the program, the thing I needed to do to achieve my goal when using it, becomes lost under layers of added features that only a tiny percentage of people actually use. 

On top of that, bloat extends to every screen. From a design perspective almost every screen is very hard to read and consume because there is so much to take in. Again I've been playing for decades so I know which bit of a screen I need to pay attention to, which means I basically ignore most of the info presented to me. If I didn't ignore it I would never be able to finish a season in my lifetime. 

So essentially what I'm saying that personally I not only ignore 80% of the features and screens of the game, but 80% of the content on each of those screens. So I wonder what is the value for it to be there, and wouldn't it make sense to design the interface in a much more streamlined way that fits the way users actually play the game.

So thats why I wondered am I alone in playing this way? Are other people spending their time playing FM by endlessly ignoring everything on screen until they get to the interesting bit. I know SI wanted to change this behaviour but I haven't seen much in the way of radical change. 

Am I alone here? How do other people play the game? Do you read everything? What do you ignore? Do you mostly just hammer your way through your inbox till a non skippable action occurs or a game? 

Let me know.

 

 

[Harrymcintyre]

Hey, may I query, where might the option to request your director of football to suggest signings for specific positions, if you please? I have looked for it but can’t find it anywhere. Thank you for any help. 

[Defensive]

Am 24.10.2022 um 11:20 schrieb Meraklija Vujevic:

3 AT BACK tactics are not defending good every through ball is passing behind them!

Defending is realy bad even top teams like City conceding stupid goals.

Another example of poor defending!

Ice hockey results !

I have 2 questions:

1) How do you explain that the scores in your screen are 1-0, 0-0, 0-1 and so on when you are talking abhout icehockey manager? Do you think its only possible for AI to defend?

2) How do you explain that in another thread Knap showd a tactic with 3 at the back conceding very little

 

As others have stated this match engine works completely different and its not justified to come to conclusions before really do extensive testing with all sorts of tactics.

Edited October 25, 2022 by Defensive

[noikeee]

34 minutes ago, Double0Seven said:

Funny, this youth developement bug remembered me of FM22 where it was also an issue. And FM21. 

 

The funny part is that the exact same person (LeoFM in FM21 pointed out in latest reply of first thread how it is still an issue) is pointing out again how it is broken. 3 years guys. And people really believe this would be fixed in 2 weeks when they cant fix some of these youth development bugs in years? I would be happy if they could, but think logical for a moment. 

 

I've been complaining about the lack of attacking, technical regen fullbacks since FM16.

[Domoboy23]

16 minutes ago, johnnyyakuza78 said:

So after a little discussion on new updates for FM23 I realised that I felt a little disappointed that there haven't been any radical changes to the actual way the game is played since.. well a very long time. I've played this game since it was Championship Manager, which is decades! The core of the game is very similar, but each year new features are added, things are imperceptibly tweaked under the hood, the interface changes a bit.

Over time the game has grown and grown, but it's also very similar.

The way I play the game is also very similar, no matter what version I'm on. 

There are some things I do a lot

• Play with my tactics on the tactics screen
• Look at my players
• Go to my inbox and hit space thousands of times to get through my emails
• Play a football match
• Go to my inbox and hit space thousands of times to get through my emails

 

There are some things I might do a few times a season such as

• Look at staff
• Sort out my training
• Check my finances 
• Do scouting
   

And there are A LOT of other things in the game that I never do. There are a lot of screens I never use, there are screens I did not know exist. I could easily get lost in the game, but I don't because I stick to what I know and don't venture too far. 

It occurred to me that the game has a lot of bloat and it is unwieldy. I said in another thread that it reminded me of Microsoft products like Word, where the core functionality of the program, the thing I needed to do to achieve my goal when using it, becomes lost under layers of added features that only a tiny percentage of people actually use. 

On top of that, bloat extends to every screen. From a design perspective almost every screen is very hard to read and consume because there is so much to take in. Again I've been playing for decades so I know which bit of a screen I need to pay attention to, which means I basically ignore most of the info presented to me. If I didn't ignore it I would never be able to finish a season in my lifetime. 

So essentially what I'm saying that personally I not only ignore 80% of the features and screens of the game, but 80% of the content on each of those screens. So I wonder what is the value for it to be there, and wouldn't it make sense to design the interface in a much more streamlined way that fits the way users actually play the game.

So thats why I wondered am I alone in playing this way? Are other people spending their time playing FM by endlessly ignoring everything on screen until they get to the interesting bit. I know SI wanted to change this behaviour but I haven't seen much in the way of radical change. 

Am I alone here? How do other people play the game? Do you read everything? What do you ignore? Do you mostly just hammer your way through your inbox till a non skippable action occurs or a game? 

Let me know.

 

 

You are not at all alone.

I've been playing since CM99 and I'm incredibly guilty of ''continue spamming''.

Press conferences? If I do them I know where to click. Middle far left.

If I get a news article I know what it's about, it's content and it's catchphrases just by reading the title.

I got to a point last year where I felt utterly un-immersed in the game and that I was just going through the motions. I read some FM career updates and stories and looked at the level of detail some people go into and felt inspired and since then made a conscious effort to slow down and take it all in. Look at the opposition scout reports, go into training etc. But it's incredibly hard, not because I don't enjoy doing it but because habits are so hard to break.

I think the biggest thing I've noticed when I compare my experience from FM 2007- 2015 to now is... I could play in my game and tell you the names of the top scorers for a lot of the teams in my division. The players who had been at certain clubs for a long time, their new exciting youth products, the leading players in the divisions below and follow players and managers journeys even if they hadn't been at my side and I had no right to have an easy sight or connection with them! This was great. Especially if you ended up signing a player who you remembered from 3 seasons previous had hacked down your captain with two feet and felt that sense of reminiscence.  I remember being in about 2050 on FM13 and if you were to select 5 top flight PL AI owned newgens I'd be able to tell you their last clubs, styles of play and their achievements!

Now? I struggle to name players in AI sides. Keep track of their movements, clubs that have had takeovers, sackings, top scorers. I couldn't name you the winner of the last few World Cups in-game unless I check. Or whose top of the PL and which big sides are in crisis. I put this down to the UI and also the social feed. I hate the social feed, it's full of gunk. I try to customize it so that I can be made aware of manager sackings, awards, transfers and club takeovers to feel immersed in the wider game world and yes that does make them appear. But I'd much rather I were able to choose that club takeovers and big game events display in my inbox, so that I can notice things I have chosen and said I have an interest in! It's no use having it in a social feed that I don't look at because it's full of the same twitter catchphrases.

Edited October 25, 2022 by Domoboy23

[LeoFM]

41 minutes ago, Double0Seven said:

Funny, this youth developement bug remembered me of FM22 where it was also an issue. And FM21. 

 

The funny part is that the exact same person (LeoFM in FM21 pointed out in latest reply of first thread how it is still an issue) is pointing out again how it is broken. 3 years guys. And people really believe this would be fixed in 2 weeks when they cant fix some of these youth development bugs in years? I would be happy if they could, but think logical for a moment. 

 

It's two seperate issues though. 

The first thread you linked is about the issue with low number of newgens generated which did get fixed for FM22 (not the same thing as newgen attribute development).

 

[KamyKaze]

Haaland is such a cheat code!!

Scores 4 to get us a win to Chelsea by 4-0. Supporters reaction:

Even the supporters know

[johnnyyakuza78]

7 minutes ago, Domoboy23 said:

You are not at all alone.

I've been playing since CM99 and I'm incredibly guilty of ''continue spamming''.

Press conferences? If I do them I know where to click. Middle far left.

If I get a news article I know what it's about, it's content and it's catchphrases just by reading the title.

I got to a point last year where I felt utterly un-immersed in the game and that I was just going through the motions. I read some FM career updates and stories and looked at the level of detail some people go into and felt inspired and since then made a conscious effort to slow down and take it all in. Look at the opposition scout reports, go into training etc. But it's incredibly hard, not because I don't enjoy doing it but because habits are so hard to break.

I think the biggest thing I've noticed when I compare my experience from FM 2007- 2015 to now is... I could play in my game and tell you the names of the top scorers for a lot of the teams in my division. The players who had been at certain clubs for a long time, their new exciting youth products, the leading players in the divisions below and follow players and managers journeys even if they hadn't been at my side and I had no right to have an easy sight or connection with them! This was great. Especially if you ended up signing a player who you remembered from 3 seasons previous had hacked down your captain with two feet and felt that sense of reminiscence.  I remember being in about 2050 on FM13 and if you were to select 5 top flight PL AI owned newgens I'd be able to tell you their last clubs, styles of play and their achievements!

Now? I struggle to name players in AI sides. Keep track of their movements, clubs that have had takeovers, sackings, top scorers. I couldn't name you the winner of the last few World Cups in-game unless I check. Or whose top of the PL and which big sides are in crisis. I put this down to the UI and also the social feed. I hate the social feed, it's full of gunk. I try to customize it so that I can be made aware of manager sackings, awards, transfers and club takeovers to feel immersed in the wider game world and yes that does make them appear. But I'd much rather I were able to choose that club takeovers and big game events display in my inbox, so that I can notice things I have chosen and said I have an interest in! It's no use having it in a social feed that I don't look at because it's full of the same twitter catchphrases.

Thanks, that sounds very familiar. The information overload has definitely caused me to try and block most of it out, ether by changing my preferences to stop it appearing or just not looking at it. The immersion you speak about is a bit of an issue, I barely notice what is going on outside my team any more, even when I try. I used to know all the wonderkids on the planet and who won the league across the world in my games!

I really question whether an Inbox is the best way to present the world of FM any more. It leads to a certain playstyle which might not be the best way to create that immersion. Not that I can come up with a better idea

[Meraklija Vujevic]

36 minutes ago, Defensive said:

I have 2 questions:

1) How do you explain that the scores in your screen are 1-0, 0-0, 0-1 and so on when you are talking abhout icehockey manager? Do you think its only possible for AI to defend?

2) How do you explain that in another thread Knap showd a tactic with 3 at the back conceding very little

 

As others have stated this match engine works completely different and its not justified to come to conclusions before really do extensive testing with all sorts of tactics.

mate with City I conceded only 21 goal with top teams is easy

 try to defend with mid and  underdogs teams

try to get over 80 points as underdog in Premiership

 

example

Edited October 25, 2022 by Meraklija Vujevic

[gggfunk]

I have a feeling that some people expect the game to be perfect in every aspect, but they forget it's just a game. Could it be better? Of course. But it's still very enjoyable. Remember that real life, as well as the football world, is far from perfect too!

Every year there are some people who constantly complain about the bugs, even after the final updates. To be honest, sometimes I think it's better to stay out of this forum. Why? When I didn't have my account here, I just started my long term save on the release day and I kept playing until I got bored. And I never encountered any game-breaking bug, never! Nowadays, when I follow the forum, I'm constantly worried about starting my save before the very last update as I read here about all the bugs and then feel it's better to wait. As a result, I start my long term save in April, so I miss the first 6 months after the release.

Obviously, I understand that some aspect of the game may be more important for others than they are for me, but what I'm trying to say is the game is much more enjoyable when we overlook its imperfections and just make the most of the product we get.

[esca]

At last they change the icon of the game to the old numeric style. Thank you!

[Fabregas_04]

1 hour ago, Jonthedon26 said:

Be interested to hear/see what tactics you are playing. Not saying the issue you have come across is because of your tactics, but in my Birmingham City save my team is ultra boring and never score or concede more than 1 a game pretty much. Wondering if I have managed to stumble across a tactic that negates this issue. 

I feel tactics are an irrelevance for the issues I refer to and comes down to players consistently making ridiculous mistakes. Tactics in your case may simply be stifling the game to a degree that masks the problems.

[Domoboy23]

3 minutes ago, johnnyyakuza78 said:

Thanks, that sounds very familiar. The information overload has definitely caused me to try and block most of it out, ether by changing my preferences to stop it appearing or just not looking at it. The immersion you speak about is a bit of an issue, I barely notice what is going on outside my team any more, even when I try. I used to know all the wonderkids on the planet and who won the league across the world in my games!

I really question whether an Inbox is the best way to present the world of FM any more. It leads to a certain playstyle which might not be the best way to create that immersion. Not that I can come up with a better idea

Agreed. I think the world immersion and knowledge away from your own team is so important and something that I feel was possible in the older FM's.

You take a Wycombe fan (random choice) right now IRL and ask him:
''Who won the last world cup?''
''Whose top of the PL?''
''Who is the top scorer in the PL?''
''Which clubs are unexpectedly struggling this year?''

They can probably nail all of the above questions. If you ask me those same questions (lets say for example the WC2030 was also a winter one) a day after the World Cup final... I doubt I would even be able to tell you that one!

That being said, I do think the new player of the week inbox item is a good addition this year. But whether that's because it's simply something new that will become the new ignore in time we will see.

[dℍaisa]

UI/ QoL improvement:

Please add a quick gameplan change button while in match. It is already  so frustrating conceding a late goal, plus  then we  have to retweak like 10 options! 

I had a (ignored) post a while back:

Hopefully something changes...

Edited October 25, 2022 by dℍaisa

[M26HFC]

Will there be a hotfix for Villa hiring Emery? Not saying that to be cheeky as such, would be curious to see how he gets on with their squad over a season.

[latrell]

i am glad its the same as fm22 i really enjoyed it tbh i do not want a complete new game every year just a nice polish and a update does me fine most the time some of the silly pointless features are of no value for me just give me a game that is open so i can mod the hell out it every year cheers.  

[Defensive]

vor 3 Stunden schrieb Crusho79bv:

Stop believing all these people that make money on promoting FM...

The ME and the 3D Engine are the same for at least 3 years, with minor tweaks every year 

There is nothing "WOW" factor about FM23 mate, stop believing everything BustTheNet is saying 

There are issues since FM20 that are not fixed, it`s the same old story...

I think its actually the other way around. There are many people here who just upvote everything negative and never are happy with anything. I saw a video of him on youtube in which he actually was quite critical about the other aspects of FM23. So yes, i do believe him more than many users here.

[Double0Seven]

34 minutes ago, LeoFM said:

It's two seperate issues though. 

The first thread you linked is about the issue with low number of newgens generated which did get fixed for FM22 (not the same thing as newgen attribute development).

 

My point is that youth and newgens seem to be bugged over and over year in year out. Not the exact same issue, but yet another issue surrounding it. The issue of low newgen did get fixed in FM22, but people were playing a broken FM21 despite paying full price for it. It got better but only after multiple updates months after FM21 released. Is this ok to you? And waiting a full year for FM22 to fix it. Now FM23 is plagued with yet another youth bug. In FM21 they took months to better it and a new iteration to completely fix it. If it repeats again, people are gonna be pissed. They already are, but as someone who has played since FM06 I see this happening over and over again. Release a version that is bugged, not fixing it fast enough, postponing it a bit to next year and oh look there is another big bug. 

I hope im wrong. But if the past tells me anything...