OFFICIAL FM2011 Demo First Impressions Thread

[Silent Running]

I hated the demo for FM10 so much that I never bought the game. Have just tried FM11 demo on my 6yr old HP Celeron E powered desktop and was pleasantly surprised. It runs really well. Like some of the new features and quite excited about buying the full game. It should run well on my new MacBook Air which should arrive before 5 Nov; will of course have to use Steam. Can't wait.

[dfa120374]

Downloaded the demo when it came out and had a good play of it over the weekend and I think it is better than FM2010.

I don't like the skin much as it's a bit flat looking BUT I do realise that it's only a demo and this will get changed when the game comes out as there will be other skins, like the dark one that is being released with the patch on the day of game release as well. I need to say (now that I actually managed to play a match yesterday) that I am very impressed with the 3D TV view. On FM2010 the 3D match view was pretty jerky for me, even on low settings, but with this one it actually looks a lot better and runs a lot smoother which was a pleasant surprise. Was just like watching a football match cos of the detail that have gone into the ME. I like the little arm movements now as well you see i.e. when the ball goes out for a throw you see some players raising their arms. Like the shops etc behind the stadium as well rather then there being a whole space of nothingness like there was on FM2010. I also like that you can see the condition of the players during the match as well in the bottom left and right corners.

I do like the new discussions that you have with players, the board and agents as well. The way it was in 2010 when you were bidding on a player you dealt with the player himself, offered him a contract and then he would get back to you within the next day or four. Now when you bid on a player, dealing with the agents and having a "real time" conversation about the contract is a lot better. You banter back and forth till an outcome as been reached and then he goes off to let his player think about the offer. I think it's a more realistic addition to the game. Some of the things that get said MAY become a little bit repetative BUT I think that that will only be a minor flaw as I'm sure that this can be built on more in patches or future editions of the game.

I like a lot of the layout of the different game screens as well, from the main home page for the inbox etc, to the layout of the player training screen. Oh, and speaking of the training screen I like how when you select the different training sections (strength, aerobic, ball control etc) it highlights the attributes that are associated with that particular area of training. For instance you click on Strength and it highlights the attributes that Strength concentrates on.

Nothing has happened that is unrealistic even though I have only just started it.

Some of the things in the game that have changed are not major changes but just little touches here and there which I like.

In general I like the look and feel of the game and I personally think the changes that have been made have made the game better.

Well done SI.

[Glass Joe]

This is weird my lone striker at the front is set as a Poacher, yet he frequently drifts to the wings even if the ball is on the defensive field. Also there are many occasions that we are on a attacking run and he is moving BACK, instead of sitting in front of the goal near the last defender. Very often the player whos dribbling (whos just a playmaker or defensive mid) goes past him and just keeps going because the striker is also my target man.

[Cometdude]

So far loving the demo, not a fan of the skin though, I prefer a darker option (which I believe is coming in the relese day patch). I love the agents and their various personalities makes negotiations seem a little more personal and intense. The 3d match engine looks great compared to last season too.

I can tell already that this is going to be the best FM yet continuing the tradition of improvement by SI.

Everyone who has been involed in producing this fine game should be very proud and derserve every reward thats coming to them.

[HonkyDick]

So far I haven't played the demo much, as I can never get right into it while waiting for the full game. I just like to have a look at some of the new features then I will barely touch it.

The game seems fine so far, I like the stadiums, crowds and surrounding areas, gives a better feel to match day.

My only gripe is the skin, brightness and overall plainness to it, it feels like you're at work in an office and not at home playing a game.

We have been complaining about this bright skin since it was first brought into the game but SI keep persisting with it. Then the so called dark skin that they will release, like before, will be virtually the same but slightly less bright. Give some more options, like different colours, just adding a blue or green style option would do me.

It's like selling a car that only comes in white, then after hearing complaints giving the option of beige, yeah it's not as bright but it's still crap.

So thumbs up for the game but the skin is horrible, and has been for years. I'm sure the majority don't like it, so it's odd that it keeps coming back.

[aditya]

The whole game is very good however it takes alot getting used to. I mean the layout is just so confusing, it changes drastically every version and that makes it harder learning the new features (agents, and the other little things)

[dr p wigwam]

Way too many red cards.. referee's are too harsh.

Start of november, 19 matches played

41 yellow cards

7 red cards. John O'Shea has 3.

Also players get unhappy way too easily. I got gibson, giggs and vidic hand in transfer requests because a lack of managerial discipline.. wtf? I fined o'shea and gave them warnings for there first red cards, how do i lack discipline. I also have harsh team talks. How do i make them happy again??

i assume you are talking about all competitions here, but still, consider Sunderland's record in the Premier League last season, the worst disciplinary record of the league:

P38

82 yellows

9 reds

i did notice in my game that Glen Johnson got 2 reds in 2 games, one in europe and one in the league, which really peed me off,

also, in some games i would see 1 or 2 yellows between both teams and other there could be 10-12, with a couple of reds thrown in.

i'm sure that SI have it set so its realistic to recent stats in real life leagues...

[Wiitastic]

I actually think Football Manager is a tad TOO easy.

http://img535.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php?id=fm2011demo5762351.jpg

[Blackmama]

My thougths on the demo after playing about 1 month and two matches.

- The camera view is excellent

- Negotiations with players without agents seems promising - hoping it won't get repetitive

- I had higher hopes for the set piece creator. It's just a graphic illustration of what has always been there. I was hoping for the chance to tell the players exactly where to be placed on the pitch and maybe train some set piece routines

- Overall graphic design is good

- The news items are better organized in my opinion. Looks more like the interface on my smartphone

- The camera view is still excellent

- Match day preparation and the squads ability to play the preferred tactics has been long desired

- Haven't had a proper go at the new training regime - but looks nice

Overall opinion so far can't wait to start a proper career game (e.g. Dafuge) when the game is released.

[Ricardos79]

I haven't read all 17 pages of this thread so if this has already been covered I apologise.

Having played the demo, I can honestly say it is good, and better than FM2010. Even on my low end laptop with all graphics set to low the match engine runs smoothly and still looks way better than before.

However, can anyone help me figure out how to use the match day preparation screen? I can't figure out what to do. I get that you can pick 3 different formations to use during play, but are they all for the same starting 11? Do they involve substitutes for players who are better in the appropriate positions? Does this mean if you switch between formations during a match that substitutions automatically happen?

Also, whats with the special focus boxes? Do you just highlight one and the team concentrate on that area? There is no 'confirm' button anywhere on this screen so I am largely confused as to how to use this. And how do you leave all the match prep up to your assistant?

[hursty2]

Just loaded the demo up and one thing that's annoying me already is some small blue box next to the mouse pointer.

[Saevel]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I'd like to bring up a small issue.

Under the training tab, when viewing a player, there is a new graph this year where you can watch a players' progress in all the various attributes. This is very similar to the one last year, but smaller, and it's a lot more difficult to see increase and decline now (at least on my laptop). Maybe this graph could be reworked so it'd be easier to see. The one last year filled the whole screen and was very nice.

[Saevel]

I actually have one more annoyance.

When I go to tactics view, the default often gives me player instructions on the right, instead of a tactical overview. Last year I didn't have any problems with this screen, maybe the defaults have been set differently this year.

Anyway, I spend a lot of time switching views here, and it's becoming a little tiresome.

I also check up on my players a lot when in tactics view, and every time I click on one and go back out, there's a significant loading delay. Maybe it's possible with a cache or something to make it quicker to jump back and forth between players and the tactics view?

[tigerhgrrrrrr]

I have to join the choir of people saying that the private conversations are too limited.

Often my response options are very negative, and thus you will end up making things worse. With the vast number of issues that can come up during a season, Id imagine something like this could hamper your team morale quite a bit.

please add more positive comments, so any issue can be handled in different ways and not just the "Im boss, suck it up, or you will be on the list"..

After every match the opposition manager slates either my "depth of squad" as a negative (!), or claims I am under pressure due to the players I have bought in and the club expectation - yet I cannot reply to these specific points just cat-call back about his squad or get all personal in an unrelated way. On the positive side, some after match press conferences give me a sensible right of reply which is good but that means now I always ignore & refuse to reply to all digs of the type mentioned above, which makes this all a bit pointless.

[tigerhgrrrrrr]

is anyone else conceding a lot from corners? around 80% of my goals conceded are corners.

Similar for me, using def.corner tactics like FM10 which worked OK then. Crying out for guide to FM11 set pices I think - or this aspect of the ME is "broken". Hopefully just the former. Out of interest, as Blyth my results are:

A. W 2-0

H. W 5-0

H. D 1-1

A. L 3-1

H. D 1-1

Kind of as I would expect, not too easy - not too hard so far.

[saberhagen83]

I like the demo so far. Have played about 10 league games now. However am I the only one that feels it's a little too much run and gun? What I mean is that attacking players seem to love to hold onto the ball and just run through the midfield and defence. Sometimes it's just looks to easy and the attacker isn't closed down or anything. Happens mostly for me, meaning it's the AI managers defence that seems to lack understanding of how to close down players...no matter who I play. I suppose that could explain why it was so easy for me to create a good tactic within 2 minutes, while on FM10 I had serious problems having a really solid tactic using the creator. And oh yeah, I have no self belife, which is why I think it's the game AI that is the problem and me not beeing good enough tactically.

[benmalpas]

Hi,

Enjoying the demo so far, is there anyway to change the i am not sure if its the skin or the general backfground to get away from the mostly white background. In FM 2010 you had two choices the ***** or a darker one,

thanks for any help

[Lindhoffen]

My name is George Canwell and I'm sad to say this is probably the worst FM demo I've ever played. I've been around this game since mid 90s coaching Wimbledon in the Premier League once upon a time, and I've seen this game in steady decline, FM11 doesn't seem to break that decline in any way which really breaks an old man's heart.

• The menu system is broken. You click one icon and you end up somewhere completely else, how has nobody ever come across and mentioned this?
  
• The colour scheme is off target. The white background is hurting my eyes and as I'm prone to have migraine I shall not buy this game unless there are darker skins on offer. Why it won't be available out of the box is something I simply cannot understand and it's a kick in the teeth by SI.
  
• The conversation you can have with agents and players alike are totally ridiculous and gives the feeling there is only one right answer at any time. Unless your advisor tells you it is a good time to have a chat to a random player he will always end the conversation just before he tells me to "f*ck off". I donnot think that is realistic in the least. You might think the coach and his players have their rows in the closet and maybe sometimes some harsh words are being exchanged, but every single time? Really? I ask someone to change a little bit on the pitch and he tells me to f off?
  

It's a joke, and I'm not laughing.

There are many changes that need to be done to this, and many other, omissions and errors I've found during my 3 hour play. I've made a list of roughly 43 fixes that I think is Critical. There is, roughly, 105 fixes that I think needs to be looked at mid-term and a staggering 214 errors that I recommend being taken cared of long-term.

T H E P I T C H

It doesn't work at all. The text doesn't follow the actions and sometimes the whole thing freezes up for seconds, sometimes minutes, and the only way to get out of it to restart the computer. I don't want to play like that.

No audience. Where are they? How authentic is it to play a big match and no audience is there whatsoever? I can understand if it's a rubbish team like Watford or Leeds, but I only coach 5-star rated teams like Wimbledon and Fulham.

N E W S

The news sections is amazing, best improvement in the game I've seen. Well done! I feel my English roots sprawl with life when I read the section on team histories.

Thanks for reading, God save the Queen. And Liverpool's chances in PL.

[Ginger]

Hi,

Enjoying the demo so far, is there anyway to change the i am not sure if its the skin or the general backfground to get away from the mostly white background. In FM 2010 you had two choices the ***** or a darker one,

thanks for any help

A darker skin will be supplied for the full game

[Fabio MVP]

Talk about being different...

[Mansleg]

My name is George Canwell and I'm sad to say this is probably the worst FM demo I've ever played. I've been around this game since mid 90s coaching Wimbledon in the Premier League once upon a time, and I've seen this game in steady decline, FM11 doesn't seem to break that decline in any way which really breaks an old man's heart.

• The menu system is broken. You click one icon and you end up somewhere completely else, how has nobody ever come across and mentioned this?
  
  
• The colour scheme is off target. The white background is hurting my eyes and as I'm prone to have migraine I shall not buy this game unless there are darker skins on offer. Why it won't be available out of the box is something I simply cannot understand and it's a kick in the teeth by SI.
  
• The conversation you can have with agents and players alike are totally ridiculous and gives the feeling there is only one right answer at any time. Unless your advisor tells you it is a good time to have a chat to a random player he will always end the conversation just before he tells me to "f*ck off". I donnot think that is realistic in the least. You might think the coach and his players have their rows in the closet and maybe sometimes some harsh words are being exchanged, but every single time? Really? I ask someone to change a little bit on the pitch and he tells me to f off?

It's a joke, and I'm not laughing.

There are many changes that need to be done to this, and many other, omissions and errors I've found during my 3 hour play. I've made a list of roughly 43 fixes that I think is Critical. There is, roughly, 105 fixes that I think needs to be looked at mid-term and a staggering 214 errors that I recommend being taken cared of long-term.

T H E P I T C H

It doesn't work at all. The text doesn't follow the actions and sometimes the whole thing freezes up for seconds, sometimes minutes, and the only way to get out of it to restart the computer. I don't want to play like that.

No audience. Where are they? How authentic is it to play a big match and no audience is there whatsoever? I can understand if it's a rubbish team like Watford or Leeds, but I only coach 5-star rated teams like Wimbledon and Fulham.

N E W S

The news sections is amazing, best improvement in the game I've seen. Well done! I feel my English roots sprawl with life when I read the section on team histories.

Thanks for reading, God save the Queen. And Liverpool's chances in PL.

Possibly the most satirical post I've ever read on this forum.

[eddymunster]

I pressed continue and it immediately continued, no 5 second lag before processing fixtures screen arrives. I'm sold on that little feature alone.

[rnickster]

HHmm, interesting demo, not bad, but the conversations with players are not working properly as many have stated.

As Arsenal, I sign Martinez (young goalkeeper) for 500k which is a pre determined transfer at start of game, I put him in the under 18's and he says he wants to talk!!!

He is unhappy about being relegated...I tell him its my decision, im the boss etc, he says i am being horrible person and requests to be transfer listed. LOL this is straight after I signed him, on the same day. Just would not happen.

Most players will whine too much or over react when you say you are the boss. I already dont like doing conversations because I feel like im treading on egg shells with each response.

As many have stated, the set piece creator is just a different graphical representation of what was already there, it does help a little, but its nothing to rave about really.

[Colorado]

@ Glass Joe: Reduce creative freedome and closing down, see if that works. Check stats like decisions, off the ball and concentration.

[Neil Brock]

As always, if anyone has any concerns or think they've found a bug please feel free to post it in the bugs forum which can be found here - http://community.sigames.com/forumdisplay.php/199

If you have a list of 214 errors, feel free to send it to me at neil.brock[at]sigames.com and I'll take a look. Thanks.

[Katarian]

I'm enjoying the demo. Though the crashing when ALT+TABing is worrying me enough that I've put off pre-ordering the game until at least next week. It's one of the things I like about FM is I can sort of do other things at the same time as playing.

[dr p wigwam]

HHmm, interesting demo, not bad, but the conversations with players are not working properly as many have stated.

As Arsenal, I sign Martinez (young goalkeeper) for 500k which is a pre determined transfer at start of game, I put him in the under 18's and he says he wants to talk!!!

He is unhappy about being relegated...I tell him its my decision, im the boss etc, he says i am being horrible person and requests to be transfer listed. LOL this is straight after I signed him, on the same day. Just would not happen.

Most players will whine too much or over react when you say you are the boss. I already dont like doing conversations because I feel like im treading on egg shells with each response.

As many have stated, the set piece creator is just a different graphical representation of what was already there, it does help a little, but its nothing to rave about really.

this exact issue [tho i put him in the reserves, not the U18's] has been discussed in the bugs forum

i think the players seem to be a little too sensitive, and impossible to reason with. i'd suggest something to do with time of the month, but i wouldn't want to offend the few women who frequent the forum...

[Fabio MVP]

I'm enjoying the demo. Though the crashing when ALT+TABing is worrying me enough that I've put off pre-ordering the game until at least next week. It's one of the things I like about FM is I can sort of do other things at the same time as playing.

Had the same problem. Playing in Windowed Mode solved the issue for me.

Hope that helps you too.

[Lord Melchett QaVam]

I'm liking the new contract negotiations and talking to the media/players, that's definetly been improved a lot, though I did like the media answers being broken down into the different sections, made it easier that way if you wanted to be nice or not.

One thing I wish was improved upon though is the details for the human manager, why is it we can only have one favourite club and not no favourite players?

[Stomalomalus]

First thoughts:

UI:

The game looks good. The cleanliness of the UI has been improving for years, and while FM10 was a big step forward, this has improved on that. The boxes look good, and showing more while using less space is a trick that SI have pulled off.

I especially like the training screen.

Gameplay:

There are a few problems I have noticed.

1) As mentioned, players getting unhappy too quickly. A teething error with a new system I expect. One fix could be that you decide which squad a player will go into BEFORE you sign them. That way you won't be demoting anyone. Player reactions also seem a little random at this stage, though I'm sure this will be fixed pretty quickly.

2) It has been made more difficult to shift on players you don't want. While the transfer market is contracted at the moment, top quality players like Rosicky, Darron Gibson, etc., would still be wanted by multiple clubs if they became available, and not just on loan. I think the balance has been swung a little TOO far this way, and just a little fiddling would rectify this problem.

One major positive is the agents. You can see what they are going to be like, and negotiations are far smoother and more intuitive. It's a good system.

ME:

1) It looks good. Very good.

2) There are too many long, long goals scored - I have scored 2 or 3 goals from 35m+, and the opposition has done likewise. This isn't in many games...

3) Players seem to take less chances. They need to be a bit more composed if their composure stat is high.

4) Dribblers seem to have been given a boost, which would be good if it wasn't for the fact that too many tackles are missed against anyone with good dribbling.

All in all, I think it is a very good job, yet seems a little unpolished as of yet. I am unsure as to whether I will get the game immediately, as some of the issues are a little bit too much for me, maybe, and I have a couple of very nice FM10 saves ongoing.

[Messyy]

a bit disappointed with the game so far...

- too many injuries

- agents are annoying, yes maybe it makes the game more realistic but it makes the game so frustrating as it takes so long for transfers and floods my inbox

- i dont get the whole match preparation thing (it takes up too much time too)

- the set pieces tactic is confusing too

but,

- the player's stats are more accurate, except for a few german players.

- the new wonderkids

- ass. man's player reports, especially for the potential ability is more accurate

- crossing works better

i wouldn't pay money for the game though. its just so frustrating!

[reyder8]

Shared their impressions of the demo version.

1. UEFA coefficient. Finally, the statistics section of countries for 5 seasons and added the ability to see the current rating for the season. That was long ago in another manager.

2. Dynamic reputation leagues and cups. Excellent innovation. Did not play in Russia since the Football Manager 2006 for many reasons. Now likely to begin a career in his homeland.

3. Set Piece Creator. Ability to set standards easier.

4. Training. Added the ability to improve the player's skill! : Good:

5. Preparing for a particular match and the screen addiction team tactics.

6. Interactive system for communicating with the team and players in a dialogue mode.

7. 3D engine is very beautiful and spectacular. Perhaps not enough only to large plans. But this is not a simulator of football!

8. Integration with YouTube.

Such excitement I have not seen since the FM2005. And the main thing is the output of Russian license in Russia! Wait! : Blush:

[Glass Joe]

Shared their impressions of the demo version.

1. UEFA coefficient. Finally, the statistics section of countries for 5 seasons and added the ability to see the current rating for the season. That was long ago in another manager.

2. Dynamic reputation leagues and cups. Excellent innovation. Did not play in Russia since the Football Manager 2006 for many reasons. Now likely to begin a career in his homeland.

3. Set Piece Creator. Ability to set standards easier.

4. Training. Added the ability to improve the player's skill! : Good:

5. Preparing for a particular match and the screen addiction team tactics.

6. Interactive system for communicating with the team and players in a dialogue mode.

7. 3D engine is very beautiful and spectacular. Perhaps not enough only to large plans. But this is not a simulator of football!

8. Integration with YouTube.

Such excitement I have not seen since the FM2005. And the main thing is the output of Russian license in Russia! Wait! : Blush:

UEFA coefficients were in FM2010

[reyder8]

I mean, you can now see the coefficients for UEFA's each season individually, that is, for example for the season 07/08 and current rating of the unfinished season. As well as for clubs

[JR866Gunner]

Im guessing we dont need to confirm what we say in team talks!? plus does everyones squad screen go blank briefly when alternating between reserves,u18's and first team? also when making changes to the team?

look forward to your replies!

[heloe]

Have played out the demo in norway now and think the game looks great, but there are one thing im wondering about, how do you see all the leagues rep because i can only see how the top 3 are ranked

[Katarian]

Had the same problem. Playing in Windowed Mode solved the issue for me.

Hope that helps you too.

Yeah that is working fine. I have developed a hatred of Windowed Mode in just two hours for some reason :confused:, but at least I can play long enough to really try the game out .

[Fabio MVP]

Yeah that is working fine. I have developed a hatred of Windowed Mode in just two hours for some reason :confused:, but at least I can play long enough to really try the game out .

Glad it works for you now.

[urbanjunkie]

Any reason why the away end is never packed out?

[MikeMan]

Simple question, tried to find the thread I'm hopefully most likely to get a mod response on!

Basically (I may get lambasted for not being 'hardcore' enough!) but I like to keep FM running whilst doing other stuff on the PC, like accessing iTunes etc.etc.

On the old games you could always just press 'Esc' to return to desktop and then you could just click on the FM tab at the bottom to return to the game and keep switching screens at your own discretion.

BUT...on the demo pressing 'Esc' merely goes back one screen on Football Manager, and I can't find any way to return to desktop without quitting the game, (which obviously I don't want to do but what if I want to change music/check emails etc!)

Thanks in Advance!

[edgar555]

Simple question, tried to find the thread I'm hopefully most likely to get a mod response on!

Basically (I may get lambasted for not being 'hardcore' enough!) but I like to keep FM running whilst doing other stuff on the PC, like accessing iTunes etc.etc.

On the old games you could always just press 'Esc' to return to desktop and then you could just click on the FM tab at the bottom to return to the game and keep switching screens at your own discretion.

BUT...on the demo pressing 'Esc' merely goes back one screen on Football Manager, and I can't find any way to return to desktop without quitting the game, (which obviously I don't want to do but what if I want to change music/check emails etc!)

Thanks in Advance!

Windowed mode in preferences or just use alt+tab

[mdbussen]

Simple question, tried to find the thread I'm hopefully most likely to get a mod response on!

Basically (I may get lambasted for not being 'hardcore' enough!) but I like to keep FM running whilst doing other stuff on the PC, like accessing iTunes etc.etc.

On the old games you could always just press 'Esc' to return to desktop and then you could just click on the FM tab at the bottom to return to the game and keep switching screens at your own discretion.

BUT...on the demo pressing 'Esc' merely goes back one screen on Football Manager, and I can't find any way to return to desktop without quitting the game, (which obviously I don't want to do but what if I want to change music/check emails etc!)

Thanks in Advance!

If you're running a windows system, hitting the "windows" button usually kicks you to the desktop and minimizes FM11.

[MikeMan]

Cheers guys, I really need to learn shortcuts...

[heloe]

Are there sombody out here that knows how to see the diffrent leagues rep rated in stars? I can only see the top 3

[RomaRulez]

So now I've had a little time to play the demo. To be honest I'm not impressed. It's just FM 2010 with a couple of facelifts. Yes, the 3d engine looks better and the contract negotiations are better, but those don't make it worth it for me to spend $40 on a new game. I'll still buy it but I'm going to wait till the price drops.

[dazbowski]

Is elevated view more, well er more elevated this year?

[cachirro]

i started steam today, and i got an update to the demo.

anyone knows what was added/changed ?

[edgar555]

i started steam today, and i got an update to the demo.

anyone knows what was added/changed ?

If you are on a PC nothing has been added. Its a Steam mess up. If you are on a MAC you just got the proper version of the demo. The wrong one was originally uploaded.

[charlielane]

very good nice job

[RTHerringbone]

Demo looks pretty good to me, from the little time I've had to play it.

This will be my first version of FM as a dad, so not sure how much time I'll have to spend on the full version.......

One thing that I'm struggling to find is advice from your coaches ahead of a game which says the sort of tempo, defensive line and width settings to use against your opponent - that advice was always my main tactical weapon!