Become a beta tester for SI

[Scorpius]

I love this game and I think I can contribute and I developed in the future of this game .. are also very interesting what will follow! I hope you choose me and thanks y whant to be a betatester! i'm 22years

[maxi7]

Hi there.

My Names Lee im 19 from Scotland

Why should i be a beta tester?

I cant really give you a great reason. Except ive followed the series since 2001, buying every edition on its release date. I've been a little critical of this years but saying that i am addicted to it. I feel i found the bugs early on and reported them on the site i post at. Also have alot of spare time to dedicate to this testing should it be required to do a few season into to find bugs.

Well im not good with words so there yi go si

[Chokolo]

hi

I have been playing the fm series for 2 years aprox.

I`m 19

I study programming ( C/C++)

I really enjoy playing this tipe of games

I have enough time to expend testing new applications

so I really want to be a beta tester

( english is not my native language ,but I do the best )

Thanks!!!

[fm_macuser]

Hi there,

I would like to throw my hat into the ring. I have been a player of the series since Champ Man broke my affection towards Premier Manager back around 94. My main gripe with the game at the moment has to be the odd occasion when the 3D representation lets down the match engine calculations. It can look awful when a player is standing right beside a ball but doesn't seem to acknowledge its presence. If these lapses between engine and representation were tightened up then the game would be much more enjoyable.

You should consider me because I have been playing the game on a mac ever since it was possible. Lack of mac testing seemed to be a major issue with the present release. Also, I have a good knowledge of past FM's and what worked and didn't work, so would have a good handle on whether new features are working out.

Cheers

[underwaterblade2008]

I'd like to put myself forward for beta testing.

I've years of experience as a test engineer for very large projects. I have a eye for fault finding second to none. I have played the fm series since it's inception and would love to be a part of the future development of the game, helping it expand on the great steps forward it has made in this issue. My belief is that the main problem currently in the game is an inability to quickly communicate a tactical change midmatch, that tactical interface needs an overhaul.

[Doodcom]

i would like to be a beta tester, I cant say i have ever had any major isues with the game i get anoyed with my profile picture dissapparing. so if i can help in any way im glad to help.thnx.

[Red_Hector]

This would be better if it was called FMX Factor and the assessment featured cutting and biting putdowns from a panel of experts.

Having said that I would like to apply

My reasons? I like the challenge of trying to outwit the developers and break the code they have toiled over for days nay weeks. I've had a few posts of feedback in the FML forums. Chipped in with a few match engine, tactical things.

As for a big issue, I still think the international management implementation in FM is a bit haphazard. I'd like to experiment with that and feed back what's good and isn't, what's working and what isn't. And generally try to exploit the tactics board to break the match engine. Not that I think the match engine is bad, just it's prone to not being used by the deranged and the eccentric.

As you've highlighted in the OP, sometimes highlighting these things after release feels like wasting your energy since major flaws are a fait accompli. I guess beta testing would be an interesting thing to try.

Plus I have like 23k posts here, so it's not like I'm not going to participate in the supersecret forum

[Razor Eddie]

I would like to put my name on your list. I have played the game since CM2.

My biggest issue with FM atm is the Americanisation of words like defence and favourite/s. Save that for WSM.

[macca72]

I would like to register for a beta testing role.

Like many others i've played the game since the Domark days, and have the passion to make the game as enjoyable as possible for everyone.

Not sure what qualifications you need, but i've got a keen eye for detail and a flair for numbers (I'm an analyst by profession). I enjoy the game and have no real axes to grind. That's not to say the game doesn't need to evolve and do the enhanced 3d justice.

I guess my most valuable asset for testing would be my clarity of thought.

Oh, and you can never have too many Leeds fans !

Thanks

[Pod17]

Hello,

I would like to be considered as part of the Beta testing team. I have played FM for many years now after becoming addicted at a relatives house. I think i could provide a good knowledge of football to the team and would like to make FM even more fun and addicting.

I have only just become new to the online forums this year but feel i have offered good advice aswell as taken it. I am easy to communicate with and would be eager to test future FM's.

Regards

Paul.

P.S. I am 16 Years old.

[Gordon Comstock]

as a longtime player of the CM/FM series, I've developed a thorough understanding of what components contribute to make a release successful. with this in mind, I feel that I am uniquely able to ascertain where and why specific modules "don't work," so to speak - by comparing FM08 to FM09, for instance, I am able to understand and explain why coach reports have been improved (for those interested for the actual answer, it's the added flexibility provided by being able to look at players' abilities relative to EVERY position they play and the other options at the club).

my analytical skills will allow me to provide feedback that is both valuable and insightful. I believe that I will be able to comment intelligently on every type of issue, from the niggliest of bugs to potential inaccuracies in the financial module or match engine.

the biggest problem with FM09 in my mind is the lack of transparency in the match engine - the interplay between sliders is still confusing and, at least in my personal experience, paradoxical settings (like having an attacking mentality, quick tempo, high width, and low defensive line) can still allow a manager to be unduly successful. is this an issue that I personally could fix through beta testing? no. however, I could guide internal debate and attempt to find partial explanations for why these confusing results occur.

[minigod]

Ive received the email from you guys and returned the Non Disclosure form. When will I hear anything back?

[peter-evo]

Ive received the email from you guys and returned the Non Disclosure form. When will I hear anything back?

Im not sure if you should mention it, a PM would br more suffice.

[Frankie 7]

Ive received the email from you guys and returned the Non Disclosure form. When will I hear anything back?

I would imagine it will be after 14th January maybe once SI sort out all the names they wat and get the forms back etc. My educated guess though so this may not be the case.

[Ando THFC]

Ive received the email from you guys and returned the Non Disclosure form. When will I hear anything back?

\

Surely you see the problem with publicly disclosing you've signed a non disclosure agreement - it doesn't bode well for you? If they emailed you and have questions, email them back and ask.

[iamjerome]

i've emailed a day or two ago saying i need an address to mail a physical form of my signature because i have no access to creating an electronic form, no reply yet though, could someone help please?

[GeedieZ]

Hi, my name is Zbyszek (I know, you can't spell that) and I'm 27 year-old CM/FM fan from Poland.

I am currently working on a data update for FM09. I've done this before, together with Robi Robson we were making a series of updates form like CM4 up to FM07, part of it was "published" by the polish official FM site - CMrev.com. My other current project for FM09 is a "Standarized database" which will be based on a "no-player database" which was already posted here: http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?p=2454888

- I've been playing CM for years, from the very first CM that was ever released. I think it brings me a lot of experience of how the game should look like and how it should behave.

- I like testing stuff. To see how it works is to know it and master it and that's what the games are all about, right? Well I'm like those nasty kids who tests the car by hitting it off the wall just to test how long will it last. I'm testing the games for their dumbness in the same manner: when I play some FPP I test the physics first - how long the character can jump, will he die when he jumps from that bridge and so on. When I play a cRPG game I'm checikng if I can steal money from NPC, kill one of characters in my team and so on. When I'm playing a tour-based strategy the first thing I'm gonna do when I'll satisfy the first hunger of playing, is to check the files (Europa Universalis anyone?) and download some mods. The same goes for FM - first thing I've done when I got it was to open the editor and hassle with database. Now, you could ask yourself here: so what? Well, so It's pretty obvious I'm pretty much bored with the computer games nowadays. They're nothing like the old computer games when you could stare at them all night, go to school, come back and play all night, go to school... and so on - you get the point. I'm now at a certain level when I'm not enjoying the game itself - I'm rather into testing it, I want to know "how the hell did they do that" or "oh, that's a nice function right here" etc. It's hard for me to explain it but I get a feeling that those who have been playing for years know exactly what I mean. This is why I think I would be the ideal man for the job.

- Unlike some other applicants here I'm more interested in fixing the bugs, instead of thinking about new features.

- 11 January (closing day) is my birthday

- The last and most significant one: I've just moved out of my gildfriend's flat. We've just ended a pretty long and utterly dissappointing relationship. That means I'll have an awful lots of spare time. I mean really, really lots

Now, about my biggest issue - I'd say it's the "new-old" transfer system. Why do I say "new-old"? Because, for me personally, I can't see any change whatsoever playing this FM and the previous one. I mainly play in Polish league, with best european leagues also selected and I have to say that FM09 has dissapointed me mostly in this area. If you would happen to see what is actually going on in our league, you'd known that there are lots of foreigners coming into our league, especially from former Yugoslavia countries like Bosnia, Serbia and so on. The game doesn't reflect this at all. As a matter of fact it doesn't reflect the real world even nearly as every in-game season number of foreigners in Polish leagues drops. That's completely unrealistic and should be changed. I've been messing with changing reputation and league standard in the database but even If I change the results are no sufficient enough to call them a realistic simulation. I think that's something SI should take care of and I'm here to help. I know that Polish league is not your priority here, but nevertheless you have to admit that our country has the potential to become a major selling country for SI games. But first you have to help me help you.

What I'm offering to SI is:

- vast experience of Football Manager, and I'm not just talking about playing the game itself, but a lot of deeper knowledge - I'm a programmer myself and though I'm definietely nost as good as you guys, I still do have some basic knowledge of how things work.

- because of my update projects I'm mostly interested in the data side of the game, so things like editor and it's usability is a very important thing for me - unlike other testers. I also know how to get the hidden data out of the game - by using Artmonety for instance.

- I like to dedicate my free time for some higher purpose then playing games, that's why I've been making updates and some tests of the game (although none of them were publicated by me to be honest)

- I'm absolutely fascinated with this game yet I realize that there's still much to do. I would love to help you resolve those problems so that everybody could enjoy the best football manager out there.

[Richie Brill]

I'll throw my hat into the ring!

I have no personal experience with testing, I did do FML testing but personally hated the game so un-installed it without being able to look for anything wrong with the game, I may have lasted about 2 hours!

I have been playing this series since the CM 00/01 days and have been hooked on every version since.

I have no real problems with the game, nothing that makes it "un-playable" for me. The only real gripe I have with the game is the advertising hoardings around the pitch being a link, there should be a setting in the preferences to be able to turn them off but that is my personal opinion.

I feel I could help out with the BETA Testing because of being involved with FM Weegie, I have spent the past year ironing out mistakes with the database that we can correct so I am used to looking for the little things that aint right and hopefully can become part of the technical side of things to iron out potential mistakes and bugs.

My infraction personally was unfair, people want to come onto this website and moan like hell cos they don't like the game and then when I give a response in which EVERY piece of swearing was done discreetly (E.G. S**T) and people don't like it cos I basically say that if you don't like the game then don't buy it and have since made sure I have done nothing like it despite other people using foul language without censoring it in any way and NOT getting infractions or warnings or anything, also seeming very unfair but that is not the reason I am here today!

I hope my explanation of my infraction is understandable cos I did confuse myself a little when writing and reading lol

Richie

[city321]

I would like to apply to be part of the beta testing team for football manager.

My current age is 14 and as a 14 year old I could offer immense dedication aka I spend almost every minute of my free time on football manager. I have previously posted flaws such as injured players which are substituted standing outside the stadium. In my time as a member on this forum I have posted quite a few ideas for future feature to be added to the game and while none of these are extraordinary I believe that this shows my dedication to not only playing the game but improving it. I am prepared to dedicate a lot of my time to testing .

My biggest current gripe would be to do with matches, first of all I believe advertising hoardings should only open a window if they are double clicked rather than once. Also I feel that team talks have a bad affect e.g. you can tell someone that you are pleased with them and they become angered now the only logical course for that to happen would be if they are playing a 1 and therefore believe you are patronising them but it’s not only in that case. Another minor gripe is the questions in press conferences where they ask a question but the answer’s don’t fit with the question or as recently happened to me when Reading had already won the Championship and I was asked who would win I obviously chose Reading and the response was “Baffling Reading choice for Coca-Cola championship title”.

[Frankie 7]

\

Surely you see the problem with publicly disclosing you've signed a non disclosure agreement - it doesn't bode well for you? If they emailed you and have questions, email them back and ask.

The non-disclosure form is to stop Beta testers discussing or revealing information about patches and/or future releases of FM to other companies or in general on here or other forums. I am sure SI wouldn't mind people saying they were chosen because am sure once everyone has been chosen everyone will get to know anyway. But i could be wrong by this.

[Danjelyto]

Hi Paul,

My name is Daniele and I'm from Italy. I study economics at university and I play fm during lessons on my notebook (fm for me is a drug :-)). I would like to be considered as part of the beta testing team because I've been a fmlive betatester and I have a lot of time to spend for testing new patches and more and report any form of errors. I've been a resercher also for Italy (Panoz's site). Of course i have every football manager from 2005 to 2009 (this last on steam) and I tested every previous patch and a lot of unofficial patches.

So please SI give me a chance and I'm sure you won't regret. Bye

[Dirty_ACE]

I'm not applying for being a tester, but I am wondering if SI is taking testers that are basically casual gamers in order to test how comprehensive and intuitive the game's layout is. Just from quickly glancing over the forums here and other places, there's much frustration from gamers due to a sudden increased in a learning curve of the tactical side of the game, plus the tools provided to users to solve their problems are lacking. As some other poster stated on this thread, the game is loosing its fun factor more and more for casual gamers. Would be good to hear from someone at SI if they indeed do hire testers simply for this purpose, in order to evaluate the user-friendliness of the game.

[coreytst]

Hi there, another application here.

Have been playing footie game's & footie managment game's sine i was in single digit's in term's of age starting with i think Striker on the Amstrad or Amiga & a few other's before moving on to the best management game ever (no offence) Sensible World of Soccer.

I've been playing the SI series of Football management since i honestly don't remember, believe it was just a one league per disk game when i started & have followed it ever since.

I have only two experience's of testing before, both for SI, the first was FM 07 which i enjoyed so much & was annoyed when some person decided to upload the file as a torrent so the second phase was then cancelled. The second was FM Live back towards the end of october, sadly i didn't get much testing done as suddenly had to move home & was without internet for a while.

I work in retail so have an eye when it come's to noticing what's not right with a situation & making my opinion know when it come's to certain issues.

My biggest problem as such with the game is training, i do like how it's easy to use but would like the option to do more when it come's to team based training. I would to be able to set up certain training program's for certain team's (i know it may sound a bit Fifa manager). If i started off as a Championship club & got them promoted then would like to be able to plan a program where i can choose what i want them to do to suit the tactic's in that game eg against the 'big four' i know they going to come out & attack me so would like to train the team to hit them on break (not just have that has option in tactic's) & also how to fully use the set piece's that come how way during the game. It could get complicated so the option of your Assistant taking charge should be there but with you telling him the begining of each week in a meeting as such if there is anything you want the team to train or just leave it all to him. Just using the slider's isn't really ideal to do that as the team will know how to attack/defend set piece's currently but currently if you have different player's of different position's using differnet scheldule's then does take time to keep tweaking the slider's of each schedule.

Thanks for reading & hopefully will hear from you soon.

[mastema]

I would also like to be involved in the beta-testing of future FM software.

I have been playing CM/FM since the 01/02 edition (I'm 24 now), and the new versions were always a highlight of my year. I'm an avid reader of a lot of fansites/blogs (include all the big ones here and a few more "underground"). I consider to have gathered enough experience over the years to actively teach and easily spot mistakes (I've "educated" my buddies in both gameplay and workstyle. The good thing is that I still get %$^% when I lose.

Also, I'm a big fan of testing games: I love to see how they take shape week after week until the launch day, with all the good and the bad that change brings. I did do quite a bit of testing in my day, but since we're talking football here, I should mention the time (a lot of it) spent on FMLive, and lately on another game called Football Superstars.

I always had three issues with the FM games:

a. lack of balance between casual and in-depth gaming. You can never sit down for a quikc match before bed. It's too complex to just browse through (not necessarily a bad thing, but something I feel should be worked on). This game should also appeal to those who don't want to pull an all-nighter.

b. steep learning curve for new players. Really, really difficult to reach your full potential without hours of reading tactic tips, or learning about training schedules. The phrase "It's your tactics, mate!" being already a meme in my opinion, suits this point just fine.

c. a (slight) lack of personality. People usually create their own stories, make up fantasy press conferences, invent biographies and conflicts, etc. The game still needs a bit more work to actually make you think "you're there". I must note that improvements have been made in the last editions toward this effect.

All in all, I'd say I'm a big (read "huge") fan, an experienced player, obssessed with tweaking every little detail in all applications I run, and with great desire (I think I mentioned 90% of the FM fans out there).

Good luck to all other entries.

[campos08]

Hi

I'd like to apply for beta tester becuase I think I can be helpful with further improving the game. FM is better every year but still not perfect. I've been playing CM/FM for a very long time, I think since 2000.

I think there is couple minor issues with 3D match engine, specially player movement on the pitch sometimes looks unrealistic. Press conferences and player interaction also need a little improvement. I've noticed another small thing. Polish clubs not signings many foreigners what is different than real life. I also did't get any notice of my staff expirings contracts.

Thanks fot the opportunity

All the best

Tom

[Marc]

Hi

I would also like to be considered for future beta testing.

Having played the old Championship manager series and now football manager since the very beginning, it's obvious to see how far these games have come and i would like to be a part of continuing to improve the series. As i get older i'm finding that Football manager is the only game i ever really play consistently so anything i can do to make it better i will.

I appreciate that due to it's complexity this game will never be 100% bug free but there we some quite major issues the made it to release such as the injury bug, incompatability with certain graphics hardware and at the moment there is a lot of discussion about wonderkids being released on free's. The latter is actually a nice bug when you are playing as a smaller team :-), but still something that should have been picked up. I feel that if given the chance to be a beta tester then i'll do my best to ensure these and numerous other small isssues will not make it to future releases of Football Manager.

As for my testing background, i work as a senior devloper for a large financial organisation and have been part f testing teams during my time there. I have a degree in Software Engineering and have worked in IT for the last 5 years since leaving Uni, all of this i feel should put me into a good position to be a beta tester for the FM series.

Just a quick not on the NDA issue, i am signed up at work to all NDA projects in a £200 million project portfolio and know exactly what is required here and the importance of not disclosing any information to anybody.

Finally i thought i would end on a high note! I am loving the 3D match engine, i thinks it's added so much to the game and once the little niggles are ironed out (for example my player 2 yards next the ball being beaten to it by an opposition at least 15 yards away, because he just decides to walk over to the ball slowly..) i think people will wonder how we ever coped without it.

Thanks for reading

Marc

[Andy H]

I would also like to throw my name into the hat to be considered for beta testing.

I have been an active member of these forums for eight years now and have managed to become a moderator of these forums partly due to my commitment for this game. I was part of the public beta testing team that got to test FM07 before that abruptly got stopped. I felt really proud of getting that opportunity to make the game that I love better not just for me but for everyone that plays it. In that time I felt I added something by reporting bugs, posting screenshots and so on to make the game better.

I have never been one to rant on these forums and always post in a constructive manner or otherwise I don't post. I understand this game will never be perfect due to it's size and complexity but will strive to make it as good as possible within the time limits given.

I don't have many issues with the game but would love to help refine the match engine to make it better and more realistic.

I would like to help add to the media content and press conferences as just now I feel they are a bit repetitive at the moment.

I was also part of the FM Live beta testing team for a couple months and felt I contributed in helping make that game better.

[Scarletrion]

I'd like to put my name forward to help with the beta testing of future Fm titles and its patches.

I've been a keen player of management games since as early as I can remember, with Football Manager 1 and 2 on the trusty old Speccy, then on to the CM/FM series on the PC from CM2 onwards. From a Beta Testing perspective, I have a good eye to detail and was also involved in the Beta Testing in the To Madeira game-world. I've also done some product testing in my real-life role so am aware of what is required when beta testing and reporting flaws in the game.

I guess compared to the majority of people on here, I 'd class my self as a casual gamer - in other words, I'm not interested in spending hours and hours developing tactics and training for my teams, I just want to fire up the game, choose a tactic and play. This may of use in the beta testing process as I could give a casual gamer's perspective on any bugs and flaws within the game.

As far as any issues with FM09, for me there aren't any showstoppers, but there are 2 areas which I feel could improve the smooth flow of the game. The first is s simple one regarding watching the game on Commentary Only. I notice on every game, the match pauses at 8, 22, 53 and 67 minutes. As I said, nothing major, but something that can be annoying for the casual gamer. The second item is the press Conferences. At first I though these were a great addition and did them myself, however after around 5 or 6 press conferences, I found it to be very repetitive. Perhaps these could incorporate more options or even utilise the free text box so that it picks up on keywords that you type in - making it more realistic in the process.

I appreciate my post count is very low on here, but I am what you could describe as a lurker - I only post in all honesty when I feel the need to post something constructive, rather than post for the hell of it.

Thanks for reading.

[Menion]

I would like to put my name forward to possibly be a BETA tester for future patches and FM Titles.

I have been a BETA tester for the past 2 Call of Duty games so have experience looking for bugs in games.

I have been played the Football manager series from the beginning and also played the championship manager series from 00/01, I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every game I have played.

Through my job I know all about not disclosing any information regarding what you are working on. I have been diligent in this throughout my work and would bring this to the BETA testing.

I like to play as my local team Liverpool but also enjoy lower league management. This would enable me to test different parts of the game.

My main issues with the current game are largely based on the media and team talks. I do not feel there are enough options available, with most of them being quite generic. At the moment, because of this I feel this part of the game is not as enjoyable as it could be. I also believe that the tactics need to be changed and made more user friendly. With being a keen gamer for years it is a lot easier for me to use the tactic then someone who is first starting the game. They can be quite difficult at first and take awhile to get use to.

I look forward from hearing from you.

Regards

Dave H

[PoZel]

I would like to become a SI beta tester for the Mac.

I have done this previously for versions on FM on the mac. I also used to run the biggest Mac fansite FM Mac, until it was taken over by others a couple of years ago.

My biggest concern is regarding the Press Conferences which have been added to this years game. There is a great potential for this to become a great part of the game. At the moment it is quite repetitive and lacks depth or full integration with the game world. I know that it will take a lot of work to get it to a state where it reaches its potential, but I think that I can provide clear and thought out feedback to help and improve this and other areas of the game.

Good luck with development and I look forward to hearing from you regarding this if you choose me.

Thanks

[setzel]

Hy,

I will like to add myself on this list and have a oportunity to be a beta tester ,because i was already a FM Live beta tester so i have time and motivation to improve with my feedbacks this game.

I was a beta tester to an other big management game it's called "PCM"-Pro Cycling Manager.

My biggest issue in FM 09 is the press conference because it can be evolved in something with more influence in the game like in real life .

With respect,

Alex (Setzel)

[Ross1310]

Hi,

I would be very much interested in applying to be a beta tester for FM. I have bought every edition of Championship Manager and Football Manager since the early 1990's.

I watch most Scottish and English games that are broadcast on satellite T.V. I am a construction manager and part of my role is simplifying structures and systems and could spot many ways in witch the interface could become more streamlined and more user friendly. For example in the tactics screen why not have tabs that allow you to set up a standard, attacking and defensive formation? You could then have a shorcut on the match screen to easily make changes during the match.

[PaulC]

OK folks, this is closed now. If we need more we will re-open later.......

Thanks to all,

Paul