Squad Management (An Easier Way) - FM11

[Surferosa]

They’re back!

After a year’s hiatus (FM 10 Versions now available here), I’m pleased to upload The Squad Management panels for FM11. For those new to them, the original FM09 thread can be found here.

What these tactics represent is my own tinkering with the information presented on the default panels. They’re not cosmetic in nature (in that they do not alter the look /styling of FM11 in the same way a skin would)- they simply rearrange information presented elsewhere in a (hopefully) better way. And, ultimately- they are designed to significantly reduce the amount of clicks and screens you need to go through to manage your chosen squad.

They do this by and large by maximising the amount of data presented in the available space: so, better is a subjective term- you may not like too much information. However, if you're like me- you just want everything in one place- and in a logical, consistent order- then you may find them useful. Consequently, the panels display more detailed squad information across a smaller number of views or, in some cases, completely new views to give an improved overview of other squad information.

The panels have been tested down to a 1280-width resolution. However, this year I will shortly be releasing a set that is also optimised for 1680-width (even more info), as well as some specially designed icons for the star ratings (eg for those used by assman’s ratings) that reduce the amount of space required to display them.

Again- as an overriding principle, I wanted people to have the ability to view the standard / default panels at any stage- to retain the comfort blanket of familiarity and to allow people to try them without removing what they are used to. Therefore, nothing is removed, rather a sub-menu exists labelled ‘Original Menus’ which contains all the default panel views.

Though the principle remains the same (ie creating a Tactician Friendly panel set that removes the number of ‘clicks’ and screens necessary for Squad Management), there are many changes from the FM09 set. Rather than list them all, these are the significant additions;

Detailed Contract Views

Displays agent information, as well as Player Bonus information (plus all the usual contractual information)

Prozone

Actually, this is simply a much more detailed stats panel. Or rather, I have broadened it so significantly- it required 5 different sub-panels (Overview, Attacking, Shooting, Defensive, Team) and then split into the usual competition sub-types- so I decided ‘Stats’ simply didn’t cut-it. Any budding Motties that live and die by their stats should love it

Attributes

Not new, but (again) significantly expanded. The original FM09 set used Cleon’s descriptions of key stats for each position. Obviously now with the tactics wizard, we have the formal SI view. So these have been incorporated. Consequently, two sub-panel sets exist- ‘General’ (eg ‘Forward') and ‘Positional’ (eg ‘Deep Lying Forward’).

Staff Search

Completely new view. Personally, I spend a lot of time grinding my way up the leagues (my annual plug for the Dafuge challenge). That means lots of staff turnover as my reputation changes. Which means a lot of time spent in this panel. Which, used to mean, a lot of time clicking through 3 different views to try and work out who is a good defensive coach. No longer- all the relevant attributes are listed for each role (rather than the ‘contract, mental, coaching’ sub-panels) as well as listing the 5-Star formulae used in the header.

For those who want to jump straight in (you probably won’t have got this far anyhow) the next few posts will simply explain some of the main views with screen shots.

I plan to have more releases of these panels- so I’ll happily take suggestions of anything else that could do with a Tactician’s workover. In the meantime though, bug reports and feedback gratefully received.

Cheers

Surf

Replacement Stars

In support of this panel set, have also released replacement stars. Whilst these are not required for the sets- they optimise the space available (take around a quarter of the space), and are better for visually identifying the relative strength of the rating. These work for all recent FM releases.

(see here for full screen shots).

[Surferosa]

Squad – ‘Players’ Panel

--------General--------Transfer & Contract--------Selection--------------Prozone--------

The Player panel represents the most significant improvements for your day to day management duties. It was the original source of my frustration with the default sets- the fact that (for example) in order to make a team selection for an upcoming match, I would often have to click through the default Selection, Assistant Reports, Injuries, Fitness- as well as checking individual player views- it seemed cumbersome. Especially since half my monitor had acres of empty screen space on some screens (with the name often taking up almost half the screen). Don't get me wrong- I understand why SI have to do it this way- they have to make a product that's easy to navigate, that doesn't overwhelm the first-timer and caters for different resolutions without having to copy files into a specific panels folder. The squad panels are therefore the best ones to look at if your unsure whether these are for you. But, to an experienced campaigner, less isn't more when it comes to taking on board information quickly.

The 'General Info' tab is a true general information panel for analysing your squad- representing a good blend of everything; background information, assistant opinions, contract, valuation and performance.

Transfer and Contract is basically three panels smashed into one: it holds all the relevant information from the old ‘Transfer’ ‘Contract’ and ‘Contract Offer’ panels. However, it is also supplemented by the 'Detailed Contract Information' view that includes agent and other information now available within the screen (although not presented in the default panels- a common theme!).

Selection is everything I need to make a match day selection decision in one place. So you can see if a player is 'Tired' even though his condition may be fine. Or whether even though he can play SC- your assistant is actually telling you he is a DL. Or that even though you want him to be a midfield play-maker- his pass completion ratio really isn't upto scratch.

Prozone is a completely rebuilt Stats panel (screenshots further down under Player Search). It literally lists everything available stat in game. Personally, I love my stats. I'm a geek that way. I want to know how many minutes my wonderkid has played so far this season to make sure he's getting enough game time to improve. So you'll find it in there (but, again, not in the default squad panels) along with many, many, many more.

The Attributes panel have been completely rebuilt to show exactly what you need to look at. No more flitting between technical, physical, defensive- etc. You want to know who is your best 4th choice DR because of an injury crisis? Go look in the attributes for 'Full Back' and you'll see what's important- and what you wont see is irrelevant.

(Edit- Version 1.02) Finally, the 'Opposition Scout' is actually a copy of the 'General Info'. However, here it uses scout information (rather than Assman)- so its intended use is when you want to check over the opposition from a scouting perspective. I tend to use this in two ways; to check on who the real danger men maybe in an upcoming match- but also when Im looking to poach players- especially useful at the start of the season and Im looking to see if Barca (or anyone else) have any players that I could pinch (maybe a wonderkid that they have undervalued).

Of course, to get the best from this view you have to scout every player they have (quick tip- use SHIFT & click to highlight multiple players- between 3-5 players each scout depending on the Determination of your scouts- and you should have a view of their whole team within a few days).

Note on Attributes

When I originally made these panels for FM09, the idea was to have 'core' attributes and 'position' specific attributes. Core attributes are those that have an effect on all aspects of a players abilities and performance irrespective of position. Positional attributes being those that are vital for the relative position. The ones I identified as core were as follows;

Bravery

Decisions

Determination

Natural Fitness

Passing

Stamina

The positional obviously being the ones you see in game.

Even within that list certain 'core' attributes could be classified as of far greater importance than others (for example, passing would largely be irrelevant to a DC Stopper in comparison to Bravery- which would be pretty key). However, as a general rule of thumb- I shy away form players that have abnormally low scores in those attributes simply because they may disrupt your team mechanic. Thats not to say I never sign a player with a really low attribute in one of those (actually, I literally never sign a player with very low natural fitness- they end up playing 1 game in every 2); more that I like to sense check they will fit into the overall squad dynamic as well as they do a position. That is why you will find them included on all of the attribute screens, alongside the positional attributes.

The other inclusions that you will find is missing paired attributes. So in a couple of positions, heading was listed without jumping. Or pace listed without acceleration. Whilst I can see why you would want one of those more than another (a DM may need acceleration more than pace because he doesnt usually have to travel far, but may need to get where he is going quickly)- I have included the missing pair.

[Surferosa]

Squad – ‘Tactics’ Panel

------Selection--------Assistant Overview--Attributes (Cap, SP, Pen)--Attributes (Positional)

I took a slightly different approach for the Tactics panel this time round. Rather than trying to merge the existing 6 views into 1 or 2 (which, to be fair, SI have already done with the 'Condition' view- which lists everything available on the other 5- providing your res is high enough) I actually set out to make mini-versions of the Player panels above. In other words, present all the information I found useful from the Players panels onto the Tactics panel.

So, the starting point was 'Selection'- a view that displayed all the critical information to me to again assist in choosing the team and tweaking the tactics. The 'Assistant Overview' shows me the bits missing (especially useful when taking over a new club when you may not have formed opinions on whatever bunch of donkeys it is you have inherited). Prozone is a watered-down version of the 'Prozone Overview' player panel- a good yardstick to check that you don't have any round-pegs in square-holes.

The 'Attributes' views though are perhaps the most useful amendment. Who to choose as the 'Poacher' and who to choose as the 'Deep Lying Striker'. Well, as the screenshot shows, on the left hand side you can choose the relevant Positional Attribute- on the right, the player currently selected in the role (with the key attributes shaded). Its therefore easy to say if you have the best man for the job- just scan the attributes listed in the left panel against all your SC's (filter them) and its far easier to see who is best suited. Of course, you still need to decide which of the key attributes is most key (if you get my drift), but that's management!

Finally, again I have listed the relevant 'Tactical' attributes for 'Corners' etc. But there is a single view 'Captaincy, Set Pieces and Penalties' that lists everything you need on one screen- making them redundant (for me at least). Simples.

[Surferosa]

Player Search / Shortlist Panels

------General-----------Detailed Contract--------Other Info-----------Prozone (Team)----

So, are you a wheeler-dealer like Honest Arry? If so, you'll be buying and selling players left right and centre. Which is why you need these panels. Around 5 years ago I realised how much more rewarding the game is without using a Genie-Scout type package (not that Im judging you- just, well you don't need it ) But, now I have an obsessive compulsion with scouting, rescouting and then scouting again (just to be safe). Having the screens the way they were (where I had to trawl through 4 screens- General, Contract, Transfer and Scout- just to get a broad overview of the player) made this harder than it needed to be.

So, the revised panels focus on this. Both player search and the shortlist tabs always have the scout rating presented (to stop you wasting any time examining a player who you have already been told has 2 left feet- neither of which is any good). They also have (at the least) some Transfer and Contract information on them (so that you can see you're going to be priced out before you go too far digging).

From there, consistency is key- so they again use the familiar 'General', 'Transfer and Contract', 'Detailed Contract' and 'Other Info' views (presented in the Player panels). They also use the same 'Prozone' and 'Attribute' views detailed above. So, you should find it a little easier to find the next Carlos Kickaball.

[Surferosa]

Staff Search Panel

--------Assman---------Coach (Attacking)----------Physio----------------Scout---------

Finally (for now!) the all new Staff Search. The background to this is that given Im a low league manager (though not a LLM I should add), I tend to turnover my staff quick. If I get 2 years out of them its rare- Ive normally found someone better as my meteoric rise from BSN to BSP takes place. Consequently, every season I spent an age looking at staff screens- finding the thread that tells me what I should be looking for; in particular the coach 5* ratings; and then switching (irritatingly) between the 3 views (Contract, Coaching, Mental) to find a replacement.

Now- its all where you'd hopefully (by now) expect- on 1 screen. Need a physio? Go to the physio view. Need a scout? Scout view. Attacking coach? Surprise, surprise- Attacking Coach view. The order of the attributes is left-right in terms of their importance- and it even tells you the scoring if you want to work out how many stars you'll get. Only the assitant manager view is somewhat of a cop-out; it lists everything! But that precisiely becuase people look for different things in an assman. Me? I still like good judging PA / CA and good motivation for team-talks- but at this point I'll defer to a brilliant post that can't be bettered (imo) when looking at who to recruit:

SFraser's Back Room Staff: What They are Good at and How to Use Them

[Surferosa]

Issues & Bugs

● International Stats appears to not be working in game (on the default panels as well as these)

● Distance stats do not show up, even though they exist in 'person properties.xml'

● Reputation is again Coaching Reputation (as opposed to World or Home Reputation). Unfortunately, this appears to be a blocked ID (in error I should think as player reputation displays correctly on the player profile). However, these do seem to be a fairly decent approximation of Playing Reputation- so again I have used instead.

● 'Pnms' is not available to be used on Search / Shortlist panels (this shows the Player Name in different colour for Loan players). It is therefore not possible to show players already on Loan as different colours in the search windows.

Download & Installation

IMPORTANT. ON BUILDING WITH FM10, SOME GAME CRASHES OCCURRED WHEN INGAME CUSTOMISTION OF THESE PANELS WAS ATTEMPTED (IE BY CHANGING COLUMN WIDTHS OR FIELD ORDERS). WHILST THIS HAS NOT SO FAR OCCURRED IN FM11, IT IS RECOMMENDED TO SAVE GAME OR USE A ROLLING INCREMENTAL SAVE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO DO THIS.

Download Links (Version 1.02)

1280 Resolutions: --FileFront-- --zShare-- --MediaFire--

(Works on all monitors 1280 resolution and above)

FM 10 Versions available here

Replacement Stars (see here for full screen shots).

Blue Stars

Traffic Light Stars

HeatMap Stars

See here if your not sure where your user data files are kept!

-If you are not using a skin at all at the moment (your using the default) then you just need to put the 3 xml files in the 'panels' folder of your default FM11 directory (which you may need to create). So you'd put them in:

\My Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2011\panels

-If you are using a skin (not the default) then you need to put them in the panels directory of that particular skin (Im using Steklo)- so Id put them in :

\My Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2011\skins\steklo\panels

See here for where to put the files if your struggling!

-The final thing- you need to make sure the xml's / skins are loaded (and that the skin isn’t loaded from your cache):

Go into preferences, display & sound, uncheck 'use skin cache' and check 'always reload skin on confirm' then hit confirm. You should get a 'loading image data for the new skin' message appear.

See here for loading the xml files!

-Obviously you need to make sure the 'skin' setting is the one where you have copied the files to (so if Ive copied them into 'steklo' I need to load the 'steklo' skin- otherwise I won't see them!)

Note: these panels were designed for running in 1280x1024. If you run at a lower resolution, not all of the fields may show up (you effectively have less screen space).

Credits

All the skinning people at Skinning Hideout for all their top work.

All the tacticians for making some sense out of a bunch of sliders, numbers and buttons.

SI for making a game that I have happily wasted my life on for nearly 20 years.

[Surferosa]

Change Log:

Replacement Stars

Released replacement stars as a better interpritation of rating field / more efficient use of screen space (see here for full screen shots).

Version 1.02

Fixed player names to correctly show on loan / scout / etc colours in Squad panel

Added new view (Opposition Scout). More information at the bottom of this post.

Minor changes to spacing

[2vA]

gonna try it, looks quite interesting and useful.

but needs a 1680 resolution imo

[Force]

Was interested but I'm using a 16/17inch CRT, so I guess this isn't for me, shame

[Surferosa]

gonna try it, looks quite interesting and useful.

but needs a 1680 resolution imo

Well, Im using a 1680 resolution (the screen shots are also in 1680). What Ive done is put the maxiumum I can get into 1280- which makes it pretty densely populated. On 1680, it actually spreads out quite nicely. In all honesty- I'll only be adding 1 or 2 fields at most on each on 1680 screen (the ones Ive earmarked for inclusion so far are annotated within the panels as 'WIDESCREEN'- feel free to un-annotate them using notepad, and you'll see them included). However, it wont be a huge improvement- just slightly more detailed

Was interested but I'm using a 16/17inch CRT, so I guess this isn't for me, shame

Well, if there is enough interest, I'll happily pull together a lower res version. What width resolution is your CRT? 1024?

As an aside- try them anyway. You still have all the original menus so the game will remain playable- if you can tell me which panels (if any) are missing key information- I should be able to get a 1024 version together quickly.

[JesterSTJ]

Looks like you put alot of effort into these panels, and they should be real useful.

Will give them a shot!

*Sorry to be a pain but i have downloaded the files, put them into my newly created "panels" folders in the shortcut you mentioned. But how do i load them up in game ?, i'm using the default skin if that helps.*

[Force]

Well, if there is enough interest, I'll happily pull together a lower res version. What width resolution is your CRT? 1024?

Yes, here's a screenshot of squad screen: http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/7091/gentw.jpg - How do I have it show 3* etc instead of 3 stars? Would probably help ease the crowded feel of it - Thanks

[Surferosa]

Looks like you put alot of effort into these panels, and they should be real useful.

Will give them a shot!

*Sorry to be a pain but i have downloaded the files, put them into my newly created "panels" folders in the shortcut you mentioned. But how do i load them up in game ?, i'm using the default skin if that helps.*

No problem

To use them with the default skin, firstly double check these bits..

See here if your not sure where your user data files are kept!

-If you are not using a skin at all at the moment (your using the default) then you just need to put the 3 xml files in the 'panels' folder of your default FM11 directory (which you may need to create). So you'd put them in:

\My Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2009\panels

-The final thing- you need to make sure the xml's / skins are loaded (and that the skin isn’t loaded from your cache):

Go into preferences, display & sound, uncheck 'use skin cache' and check 'always reload skin on confirm' then hit confirm. You should get a 'loading image data for the new skin' message appear.

See here for loading the xml files!

Should work fine- but if not, let me know and I'll try to recreate on mine.

[abojep]

ACE!

Really missed this last year.

I am on 1280 x 800; do you thing it will work?

[Surferosa]

Yes, here's a screenshot of squad screen: http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/7091/gentw.jpg - How do I have it show 3* etc instead of 3 stars? Would probably help ease the crowded feel of it - Thanks

Ive made some special star images that reduce the amount of space they take (as per my screenshots). But, in order to use them and get the benefit of less space, you'll also need a modified panel set (that reduces the space they take up). I'll try and get these posted up in the next day or two.

[Surferosa]

ACE!

Really missed this last year.

I am on 1280 x 800; do you thing it will work?

Good to have an old user back

Ive done all my testing over the last few days on 1280 x 800 so should work perfectly. In fact, they are optimised for 1280 (meaning 1680 doesnt give you any extra info yet- it just spaces things out better and makes the information less conjested).

Feedback really useful on stuff like this though- its difficult to do enough testing on various resolutions. I wanted to get them out early this time- rather then spending a couple of weeks testing them myself- so let me know how you get on either way

[Flohrinho]

Looks awesome.

Gonna try it.

[Surferosa]

Looks awesome.

Gonna try it.

Nice one

Dont forget to to let me know what you think- even if you hate them

[Flohrinho]

Nice one

Dont forget to to let me know what you think- even if you hate them

Looks totally awesome and really provides a lot more info then the standard screens.

Thank you and everyone who worked on this for all the hard work.

P.S. I use a 26" TFT display so space isn't an issue.

Edit: the only one that is a bit strange is the behavior of the columns if you want to adjust their size manually.

It looks like resizing one column will also resize others in a very strange way.

[Surferosa]

Looks totally awesome and really provides a lot more info then the standard screens.

Thank you and everyone who worked on this for all the hard work.

Thanks mate

P.S. I use a 26" TFT display so space isn't an issue.

Edit: the only one that is a bit strange is the behavior of the columns if you want to adjust their size manually.

It looks like resizing one column will also resize others in a very strange way.

Theres actually a good reason for that. For every field, there are default settings for width, minimum width, auto hide priority, etc. What they do is to govern the behavior of the fields- in effect saving whoever it is from having to define them for every single screen. The problem this creates though is that name (for example) may end up taking loads more space than it actually needs. What I have in effect done is fixed the width screen by screen- so that I can get more information on each panel.

The downside is when you resize a field- it will revert back to these defaults when it resizes. I could of course change the defaults ('person properties.xml')- however, the defaults are used widely acorss the game, and I run the risk of changing the display of a panel that Im not actually editting (if you get my drift).

The solution? Well consider my panels as a template for you. You can (of course) edit any field yourself. So say you dont like morale (which, again I shorten so that just the icon is typically displayed rather than the description; simply because most people by now understand a big green 'Up' arrow is superb; a big Red 'Down' arrow is Very Low). This would appear in the panel as;

<record id="Pmor" width="1"/> <!-- player morale -->

In notepad, edit (or edit & replace if you want to do it globally) this line to;

<record id="Pmor" width="40"/> <!-- player morale --> (to increase the fixed width) or;

<flags id="Pmor"/> <!-- player morale --> (to revert to the game default)

Save the file, then 'reload skin' in game preferences- and viola, morale is displaying as you want it

When I release the 1680-width res panels, Im going to go through the screens one by one and lengthen any field that needs it (as well as adding additional here and there). With that screen of yours- Id think you'll find them a slight improvement

[Flohrinho]

Well the resizing is actually nothing that concerns me but was the only thing I thought that might be a bug.

The columns width so far seams to have no problems at all I can read everything perfectly.

[Surferosa]

Sweet

Live with it a little while- any improvements that sping to mind- let me know

Ive loosely set myself a target of releasing version 2 in around a week (which will include the 1680 set; optional 'stars'- as per my screenshots; in-game tactics panel- if possible, OI Instructions- as per FM09; and a 1024 set). So bear it in mind if you come across anything.

[Parlabane]

Not showing up for me, either.

I'm pretty sure I'm doing as instructed.

I'm on a Mac . . . but the directory structure is pretty much the same on OSX.

Default theme. Reloaded from the cache. Restarted.

[Surferosa]

Not showing up for me, either.

I'm pretty sure I'm doing as instructed.

I'm on a Mac . . . but the directory structure is pretty much the same on OSX.

Default theme. Reloaded from the cache. Restarted.

Just to make sure, you should actually uncheck 'use skin cache'- which could be the problem?

Check the screenshot linked below- even though its from FM09, its exactly the same process.

Go into preferences, display & sound, uncheck 'use skin cache' and check 'always reload skin on confirm' then hit confirm. You should get a 'loading image data for the new skin' message appear.

See here for loading the xml files!

Let me know if that solves it

[Parlabane]

I didn't uncheck that box.

Reading fail on my part! Thanks.

[Surferosa]

No probs- easy mistake to make (Ive bolded it in the OP to make it clearer).

Dont forget to let me know what you think.. feedback is really useful

[scouserjay]

Wow! These are amazing, cheers for these :~}

Actually make the game so much more enjoyable, only problem i have is, my monitor is 1440x900 so a few of the columns do not show 100%, so i try and edt the spacing inbetween and it making a new ''copy of selection'', which is so annoying. So the new 1680 screen resolution one you will be releasing, will they work ok on my screen?

Many Thanks

[Surferosa]

Wow! These are amazing, cheers for these :~}

Actually make the game so much more enjoyable, only problem i have is, my monitor is 1440x900 so a few of the columns do not show 100%, so i try and edt the spacing inbetween and it making a new ''copy of selection'', which is so annoying. So the new 1680 screen resolution one you will be releasing, will they work ok on my screen?

Many Thanks

Cheers for the feedback- glad you like them

Well, strictly speaking at 1440 res the 1280 screens 'should' be optimal for you (when I release the 1680's, you run the risk of having overly-conjested information becuause your screen isnt 1680 wide).

However, some columns are deliberately small. Take my comments on morale above (regarding we all know what a Green 'Up' arrow means- we dont need the word 'Superb' too). What I think is probably happening at your resolution is that some fields that are trimmed have been proprotionately made bigger- meaning you see more of the field then before it was trimmed? Other text fields are deliberately trimmed (so name is cut at a length that will probably not show the full name of an excessively-charactered player- where it will cut off the end- but will fully show 99% of your squad).

What Ive tried to do is keep the lengths consistent- and only trim them to a length that enables you to get the relevant piece of information needed. Its a fine-balancing act

Failing that- if there are any fields in particular- let me know, it maybe a bug. Or post a screenshot. Either

[greg54]

I really like what you did with the screens but noticed something you may want to change. Players that are on loan no longer show up in the "on loan" color (a shade of blue in my case); however, if I change the flag definition in the team squad or team tactics xml from "Pnam" to "Pnms" the color coding used by SI is back. Perhaps they have changed or added a new name flag with this release. Thanks again - it is a lot of work to make so many changes.

[Surferosa]

Nice spot Greg- its a bug Will change them for the next version.

[jenkobuster]

love your user name, Surferosa. one on the best albums i have ever heard!!!!

[Surferosa]

You're a man with good taste

[ShirazS]

Hi,

Awesome work, keep it up. Just one question, if you do not mind me asking, what exactly would I need to change to have the players on loan show up in blue again?

[qqq]

Hey,

I just tested it on a 1920 x 1080 resolution and it is just fantastic. I do like to look at as much info as possible when playing this game but sometimes I get lazy with going from screen to screen. This is a massive help

and if you are not sure whether to try it, just do it.

Many thanks for a great mod/tool/embellishment.

[Sleepydude]

Hi,

Awesome work, keep it up. Just one question, if you do not mind me asking, what exactly would I need to change to have the players on loan show up in blue again?

I would like to know this too please...

Great work btw, am really enjoying these new panels!

[Aachen4Ever]

I would like to know this too please...

Great work btw, am really enjoying these new panels!

This is absolutely awesome surferosa! Please let us know what to change for loan players.

[Surferosa]

Thanks for the positive comments guys- really good to have feedback Please let me know if you do think of anything that could be changed / added as I plan to release updates reasonably regularly.

New version up! See change log here

Also to note that the Opposition Instructions panel is now complete- post should be going up today at some point. For those that are new- Im a big believer in the power of OI! Check out the FM09 thread to see what its all about.

[grimness]

Can't use it but I always appreciate such a great effort.

[Surferosa]

Why can't you use it grimness? Resolution width lower than 1280? If so- what are you running (Im trying to see how much demand there is for a 1024 version).

[Christo]

I run at 1920 x 1080 screen resolution. Is the version for that screen resoution in the pipeline or will this one work fine?

[grimness]

Why can't you use it grimness? Resolution width lower than 1280? If so- what are you running (Im trying to see how much demand there is for a 1024 version).

I apologize, I misunderstood that it works only with higher resolutions. It works just fine with 1280x1024. I was using custom panel like SFraser as it has really good info but your's go into much more details.

Great work!

[Christo]

Just installed this, it is really great stuff.

[jim morrow]

Great stuff man !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks for sharing....

1 idea about tactical panels for positional attributes, perhaps can you sort attributes by pair...lilke pace and acceleration, heading and jumping. taclking and markjng....

[triangle222]

Fantastic!

I loved your FM09 work and these are even better. The Prozone screens are like porn for a statto like me, lol.

[Ugo]

Thanks a lot for your effort :-)

[Surferosa]

Cheers for the positive feedback once again Its always encouraging to know that people are finding it useful.

1 idea about tactical panels for positional attributes, perhaps can you sort attributes by pair...lilke pace and acceleration, heading and jumping. taclking and markjng....

Tis an interesting point this. I experimented with the attribute order a little before publish. Firstly, I tried ordering them in Physical, Technical and Mental subcategories. I also experimented with putting them in a perceived order of importance. What I found was by doing anything other than a straightforward alphabetical listing actually made it harder to quickly visually identify the attributes. Having them paired seems like a good idea- but my concern is that as soon as you start altering the alphabetical listing- you're back to having to visually scan for where the attributes are. It could work though- may do some more experimentation. Anybody else have any thoughts on this?

The Prozone screens are like porn for a statto like me, lol.

Yep me too Ive found them really useful in one key aspect of the game: reserve football. Before, knowing when a player was ready to step up was really trial and error. The additional stats provided in game are a really big help in assessing the reserve team (which I leave to my assman). They tend to tell me much more than the Average Rating (which is obviously weighted heavily towards the goal scoring players).

[Gee_Simpson]

Do the players on loan now show up with blue names in this update?

[Surferosa]

Do the players on loan now show up with blue names in this update?

Short answer- yes

Change Log:

Version 1.02

Fixed player names to correctly show on loan / scout / etc colours in Squad panel

Added new view (Opposition Scout). More information at the bottom of this post.

Minor changes to spacing

[Marky Mark!]

Just to make sure, you should actually uncheck 'use skin cache'- which could be the problem?

Check the screenshot linked below- even though its from FM09, its exactly the same process.

Let me know if that solves it

Hmm... this looks great, but for some reason I still cannot get it to work!

I have:

Created a FM11\panels directory, and saved the 3 XML files here

Unticked Use Skin Cache and Ticked Always reload Skin on Confirm

Tried re-starting FM, although it probably isn't necessary

But still nothing! No idea why! I'm using the original skin, and in windowed mode (not that it should matter)... any ideas as to why it is not working, or was it simply not meant to be?

Cheers,

Mark

[Surferosa]

Hmmm. My guess is it will be something simple (usually is with me)- so lets try and rule out some of this stuff first

Did you create the panels directory in your user folder? The same user folder that is quoted in game? See this screenshot for where:

See here if your not sure where your user data files are kept!

After changing the cache settings- did you hit confirm (or 'Reload Skin')? See here...

See here for loading the xml files!