Coming Soon: Football manager 2018

[fortheglory]

Has anyone taken a gander at the previews for FM 2018? This edition looks as though it might be something very special.

Football Manager 2018 | Dynamics | Inside FM18 - YouTube


Football Manager 2018 | SCOUTING REVAMPED COMPLETELY!?! | FM18 New Features | #FM18 #FMTV - YouTube


Football Manager 2018 | Tactical Revamp | FM18 - YouTube


Football Manager 2018 | Sports Science Overhaul | FM18 - YouTube

[whomario]

Might skip it. Definitely will not buy immediately as new features like that almost never properly function in any game and as much as i applaud them for being innovative, i've simply had enough of being an inofficial beta tester for this year already ...

[Young Drachma]

I think I'm probably done until save games are compatible with the future year, which I realize won't ever happen. Or at least editor files. It's just too much work year after year trying to rebuild my universe.

[RainMaker]

Those look nice and all but my problem is it feels more and more tedious with each version. I know I'm not the hardcore fan they might be looking for though. I just don't like spending an hour between every match holding team meetings, tinkering with every little tactic, and so on. Now I've got to talk to the sports scientist and go through all that.

[MrBug708]

I preordered it. I don't care about the playing side, I usually plug and play tactics, I love being the director of football and wish they did that side of it, ala what OOTP finally did.

[fortheglory]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Those look nice and all but my problem is it feels more and more tedious with each version. I know I'm not the hardcore fan they might be looking for though. I just don't like spending an hour between every match holding team meetings, tinkering with every little tactic, and so on. Now I've got to talk to the sports scientist and go through all that.

You can delegate as much or little of the responsibilities to staff members if you so choose. So basically it is as in depth (or not) as you want it to be.

[Izulde]

Is there text of this same information anywhere?

[PilotMan]

I'll be getting it as part of my even year only policy.

[Brian Swartz]

Haven't picked up FM in a few years(Steam says '14 is the last one) but I'm going to this year just because I'm determined to finally accomplish something in it or die(not literally) trying. I'm with whomario though -- I expect some of this stuff will be quite nice eventually and a fairly oppressive mess initially.

[djsatu]

Any early impressions? Match Engine better this year? How's the new scouting system? UI good or bad?

[MrBug708]

I dont like the new scouting system

Havent played it far enough to really care about the squad dynamics

I feel like the interface is a lot different with this one

[Brian Swartz]

I do like the new scouting system. I haven't played since '14 as mentioned but I think the match engine has come a long way. Keeper/defense AI in particularly seems improved over what I've seen of FM17 vids(admittedly not a ton). There's issues to sort for sure though, set pieces are not working exactly as intended I don't think. As far as UI goes, there's lots of complaining about at the SI forums. Some of it is legit, some of it is just whining. One of the 2D views is gone this year(they say it's due to moving forward with the graphics and going to DX11) which has a lot of long-time players in a tizzy. Some of the ease-of-use things were made harder. How much of that gets sorted by the time beta is over and another patch cycle after that, hard to tell.

[Ryche]

May get this at Christmas but I'm quite happy with 17 and still have more I want to try, especially the expansion Minnesota United. Current career has me struggling in the VNL with Slough Town. Managed one promotion but spinning my wheels now.

[vex]

Yeah, I'm happy with '17 as well. Have Crewe up in the Premier League in the 21/22 season and playing in the Champions League with an average team age of 20, so no reason to quit now.

[bhlloy]

Can't say I'm a huge fan of any of the changes so far

Interface including the 2D match engine seems to have got simultaneously more cartooney and more clunkey
3D engine is still as big an immersion breaker as any feature in any game I've ever played
New scouting system seems like a waste of time
Squad dynamics just feels generic and same from team to team
Briefing just feels micromanagey and doesn't seem to do all that much either

Some of this is probably just getting old and kranky, but I don't think I've ever been so unenthusiastic about any of the new features in a previous version. I'm sure I'll get into it at some point, but add all the unpolished stuff that comes with a beta release and I'm distinctly unimpressed so far.

[Mota]

I do enjoy the new scouting system. Makes it more realistic, you can't just find all the top players in your country instantly. Right now my lower level team does not have ANY scouting ratings, I've sent him out to look for some good players. Seems that it will make the game more challenging.

I do like the squad dynamics, my team is missing some leadership and I need to add that into the team. But it also has "cliques" where people of influence will have followers, and you probably have to make sure you take care of them or they could turn multiple people against you.

[NoSkillz]

This is the first new version of the game I've purchased since FM11 (due to my 20+ year Dover dynasty with that version of the game) and while I don't want to use the word "overwhelmed" to describe my thoughts at this point, I will say that the game looks MUCH different than what I'm used to.

Not saying it's good or bad...just so much different. I'm going to need some time to figure everything out I think, starting with the massive UI overhaul.

More thoughts to come but I may hold off on starting a career until the game is out of beta. Considering firing up a new dynasty as well...

[djsatu]

Corners on offense and defense is broken in the beta. You will have to manually change each player. Here is a fix:

FM18 Tips | Set Pieces / Corners Issue and How To Fix It | Football Manager 2018 - YouTube

[fortheglory]

I think this might be the best release SI has had.

[djsatu]

Anyone else having issues getting through the month of September (Season 1)? My game always crashes on September 12, and I can't get past that date.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by djsatu

Anyone else having issues getting through the month of September (Season 1)? My game always crashes on September 12, and I can't get past that date.

Don't have the game but troubleshooting based on similar issues the past few years:

Have you tried going on holiday and/or retire and then creating a new manager to take over Sept. 13 ?

Also, are you using any editor files at all, especially league files ?

[djsatu]

Originally Posted by whomario

Don't have the game but troubleshooting based on similar issues the past few years:

Have you tried going on holiday and/or retire and then creating a new manager to take over Sept. 13 ?

Also, are you using any editor files at all, especially league files ?

Thanks for the holiday trick. New patch just dropped, and it worked, but now it hangs 2 days after again which is frustrating. I'm using graphic files and that's it. SI knows of these crashes/hangs, so I guess I will just to have to wait until the full game drops on the 10th to see if its been fixed

[fortheglory]

Thought this thread would be “buzzing” by now!

A little confusing really.

[MrBug708]

I like this version a lot. But had an issue where the game wouldn't save and then it crashed. Still needs a little work

[Flasch186]

Originally Posted by fortheglory

Thought this thread would be “buzzing” by now!

A little confusing really.

It doesnt have an 'Alrighty Boyz..." handle so no one knows its here

[CrescentMoonie]

If I buy, I don't do it until after the final patch is released. Just my habit and usually saves me money as well. I'm hoping the new scouting system works the way it says it does as that's how I've always wanted to play anyways. Sounds realistic.

[SirFozzie]

I'll probably do my American Premier League file in the next few days as a distraction (my grandmother passed away last night). But I really do like it so far, games feel a lot better

[djsatu]

I love the scouting system. Having meaningful scouts actually matter, and they have found some real gems for me so far. Tactics are easier to create it seems. Mind you this is the first FM in years for me. My Inter are playing exactly how I've instructed them to in my tactic. All in all I'm happy with FM for the first time on a while.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

I'll probably do my American Premier League file in the next few days as a distraction (my grandmother passed away last night). But I really do like it so far, games feel a lot better

Sorry for your loss.

[Ryche]

Think there's a good chance i get this at Christmas. Between a long vacation (which includes seeing my first premier league game) and my ongoing Slough Town save I'm not in a rush. Reviews are sounding promising though.

[jbergey22]

A lot of negative reviews on Steam. Mostly having to do with slow load times and not liking the new features. Anyone else purchase yet?

[MrBug708]

I have. I had a lot of lag time early on but it seemed to have gotten better. I like the new features, scouting I'm torn on, but I like access to everyone, but this way is much much more realistic.

[Brian Swartz]

For those who tried the beta, there are a lot of things better in the release version. Set pieces, match engine action improved and response a lot better throughout the UI. Aside from the already-mentioned scouting, I really like the way the possession battles, particularly in midfield, play out. Still situations as always where the animations are not timed perfectly to the action, but overall it's definitely moving in the right direction.

The complaints I've seen that I think are legit are changes to the 2D mode of viewing matches(I use 3D so it doesn't affect me) and some baffling UI stuff that does seem to make it more clunky to do certain things I think this is a significant step forward for FM though. I'd recommend taking a look at the reviews with an eye towards whether they are talking about the beta or the full game -- I wouldn't have advised a purchase at the beta point, but I would now.

As always, YMMV.

[fortheglory]

For one reason or another(and I can't understand it) it seems FM fans have a propensity every year to complain, complain and then complain some more. As a result they dish out bad rating scores like candy.

I really have to admit I don't understand the mentality.

If I were to say to you, what is the best sports management on the planet, what would people's answer be?

FM?
OOTP?
FOF?
Greydog Basketball simulations? (college and/or pro)
Franchise Hockey Manager?

The point is, these are all considered very good management simulations. yet the FM people seem to treat their own favorite product like crap every year. I can understand legitimate criticism, but I feel many of the FM people bash for the sake of bashing much of the time.

[CrescentMoonie]

FM at least tries to fix glaring flaws when they occur. OOTP keeps chugging along with the same broken game while adding stupid features that enhance nothing every year. It's a hard pass.

Best sims right now would have to be:

FM
FOF
TEW

I'm not really fond of much else these days.

[NoSkillz]

Some initial impressions, keeping in mind that this is the first version of the game I've bought since FM11 due to having a 30+ year career going in that save.

Scouting has seen a massive overhaul and I think it really ramps up the difficulty, especially in the lower divisions (ie: small budgets). Scouting costs are much higher but more importantly, it takes much more time to flesh out players to eliminate the fog of war. In my current game managing a team in the fifth tier in England, I'm having to resort to bringing players in on trial en masse in order to avoid the scouting costs and to get quicker feedback on their abilities and weaknesses.

I'm guessing that things will get a bit easier going forward as my scouting database continues to grow but I must say it was almost overwhelming at first trying to figure out where to start with my scouting. Needless to say, unlike past versions, I'm making offers on some players without having full knowledge of their abilities and that just feels more realistic, especially when managing in the lower divisions.

Tactics are more complex as well due to the introduction of Player Roles (not sure if that is new this year or something introduced in the last couple of years). Essentially, just finding guys to fit my normal tactical scheme isn't enough and it looks like I'm going to have to give much more thought and care to each of my players' strengths and weaknesses (ie: ideal roles).

I've played about four or five preseason friendlies and while I tried to copy my old tactical structure from past games, my team is NOT playing the way I'm used to seeing them play. Little things like my goalkeeper constantly booting the ball deep downfield instead of throwing short to my fullbacks...I can't seem to get things flowing from the back like I used to. I think some more trial and error is still to come.

The 3D engine is leaps and bounds ahead of what I grew accustomed to in FM11 - much more fluid and with so many more animations.

It's still early days but I'm enjoying the game immensely so far and it got a great workout this weekend. Still thinking of doing up a dynasty here but we'll see.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by fortheglory

For one reason or another(and I can't understand it) it seems FM fans have a propensity every year to complain, complain and then complain some more. As a result they dish out bad rating scores like candy.

I really have to admit I don't understand the mentality.

If I were to say to you, what is the best sports management on the planet, what would people's answer be?

FM?
OOTP?
FOF?
Greydog Basketball simulations? (college and/or pro)
Franchise Hockey Manager?

The point is, these are all considered very good management simulations. yet the FM people seem to treat their own favorite product like crap every year. I can understand legitimate criticism, but I feel many of the FM people bash for the sake of bashing much of the time.

Is that really the case ? I know we had the whole "chinese invasion" event last year (basically hundreds of chinese gamers organising to downvote the game on Steam and elsewhere after not getting an official translation), but from years on their forum i recall the whole atmosphere surrounding the game as tough, but pretty constructive.

[RainMaker]

Reading some of the reviews it does seem like legit complaints. The scouting system seems to be more a pain in the ass than it's worth. The UI seems worse.

I'm on the fence. I can understand people liking the more complex scouting system but for someone like me, I just hate the tediousness of some of their features. I know I can pawn it off on the AI (which is terrible) but that kind of puts you at a disadvantage.

[fortheglory]

I recommend it. I think it's SI's best offering in years. Once you grow acclaimed to the scouting system, I think you will like it.

It seems to be FM players are being divided into two camps. Those who like the details of real life management, and this who just want a fun game. The problem is, SI does offer up an alternative for those who are looking for a more casual experience (FM Touch) but at the same time, those same people refuse to use it because they feel it's too light.

Not sure what people want....it seems they is just a core of disgruntled users who downrate FM in masses. I am also hearing rumors the ChiComs' aren't happy again this year because some of the translations aren't perfect..(not sure if that's true or not however)

[bhlloy]

I have to say personally the jury is still out for me on some of the new features - for example squad dynamics just seems to have doubled the importance of morale which I think was already overplayed - but I will say I do really like the new way injuries work and that now you have lots of small injuries to worry about that impact your game by game decisions and you have to worry about a small injury turning into a big one.

Seems way more realistic and has actually made that part of the game fun, so way to go SI on that piece.

[Johnny93g]

Got an email, FM2018 is out. I haven't gotten FM in oh 4 or 5 years. Made a decision that ya, sure, lets pick it up.

Click on the website....check on steam...see the same thing. 60 bucks. Pass. I'll keep my eye out for a sale.

I guess im really out of touch if thats the going price for text sims there days.

[MrBug708]

Honestly, its the best version and a nice upgrade from even last year

[whomario]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

Got an email, FM2018 is out. I haven't gotten FM in oh 4 or 5 years. Made a decision that ya, sure, lets pick it up.

Click on the website....check on steam...see the same thing. 60 bucks. Pass. I'll keep my eye out for a sale.

I guess im really out of touch if thats the going price for text sims there days.

It's not. It's the going rate for FM, which quite obviously is not comparable at all in scope to any other "text sim" out there. Hard to find numbers, but i doubt that any of them come even close to this either in terms of sales or ressources put in.

[RainMaker]

All those licenses cost money. It's the same with Madden or other sports games. When you're paying a ton of money for licensing, it's going to either jack up the cost or cut the manpower going into the game.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by whomario

It's not. It's the going rate for FM, which quite obviously is not comparable at all in scope to any other "text sim" out there. Hard to find numbers, but i doubt that any of them come even close to this either in terms of sales or ressources put in.

I guess i just wasn't ready for it!! I'll see what sales come next week....

[fortheglory]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

I guess i just wasn't ready for it!! I'll see what sales come next week....

There aren’t going to be any sales next week, or anytime in the immediate future. Maybe by August/September?

[whomario]

Originally Posted by fortheglory

There aren’t going to be any sales next week, or anytime in the immediate future. Maybe by August/September?

Christmas always includes at least 25% off for FM.

[MrBug708]

It's also only 49.99, but is that the price in Canada?

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

It's also only 49.99, but is that the price in Canada?

It's 60 bucks for me. DAMN OUR DOLLAR!! haha

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by fortheglory

There aren’t going to be any sales next week, or anytime in the immediate future. Maybe by August/September?

How do you know?

If it's 10 months before any kind of sale, well then im out. I know that means nothing but ill find something else to buy by then! haha

I'm gonna assume there wil be some sort of black friday or christmas promo somewhere for it, and i may give it a shot then.