Football Manager 2021 Early Access Beta Official Feedback Thread

[fmaberdeenfan]

Need this for every match, not just cup finals!

[Preveza]

10 hours ago, BuryBlade said:

I’d like to know why the net animations still look like this (ridiculous)? 

This was happening in fm20 and despite COUNTLESS bug reports and general mentions, nothing has been done about it. And then you have Miles coming out and saying if it's "not" a bug it won't be fixed. Well clearly this is an issue that has not be fixed and we have a right to be annoyed. 

[Svenc]

17 hours ago, XaW said:

I think you misunderstand the concept of xG. An xG on 1 is nigh on impossible for a single chance. Even a penalty is 0.75-0.8 (different for different providers). It's based on previous statistics, and does NOT include player ability. It's based on how many percent of chances from the same position actually scores. Not the player, but any player.

It is of note that very few players on any level actually outperform their xG with some consistency. Messi, for instance. Immobile in Serie A had outperformed his xG by almost 8 goals last term, however he too doesn't do this every season at all despite being a clinical finisher. I think this may be worth mentioning, as no matter how great a player, he won't turn a chance into an altogether different one. Competitive sports is all about getting a few margins of edges. If you're competing with the likes of Messi et all in football, you are already pretty damn good at what you are doing -- usually you belong to the best athletes of your generation, even if you kick a ball at little Eibar.

The expectation in-game may be something else. A truly worldclass finisher should bag a couple of (crucially) extra goals per season, but there should be a limit. Generally, the chance matters more than the player who has it (and the vast majority of players scores about as much as their xG suggests). As players don't have xG data in their in-game profile yet, it's hardish to keep track of that. Then again, it likely would make the game a tad easy, in particular if xG isn't actually used by AI managers all the same.  

Edited November 15, 2020 by Svenc

[upthetoon]

10 hours ago, janrzm said:

I wasn't going to mention it but the enjoyment I got from the lobbed goal was quickly undermined by that longstanding issue of the net jumping......

Just imagine when the ball goes in and the nets physics is just like how the net bulges in real life.... 

Right now, the ball hitting the net doesn't provide the same feeling as it should. 

[vikeologist]

It is now massively easier to get a job when you start unemployed.

Even if you start aged 20, with no qualifications or experience, you can get a first job at a 3star reputation club. Examples are multiple English Championship clubs and top foreign clubs such as Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa.

Sometimes the game suggests that vacancies like this are unrealistic in the 'weekly jobs update', sometimes it recommends them. That feature seems all over the place.

By way of comparison, since FM15 the level of first job one can get has slowly lowered, and in FM20, the best one could hope for would probably be a 1.5 star team, such as in the English Conference.

This is a massive change, and though frankly even getting a first job in the Conference strained credulity, getting jobs with the likes of Stoke and Willem II (in Holland) and the aforementioned Kaizer Chiefs seems too unrealistic.

Is this a deliberate adjustment on the part of SI, or a bug?

Edited November 15, 2020 by vikeologist

[Stevenleharve]

Not having a light skin is a killer for me. Unplayable without it. Default skin does a number on my eyes. What a shame!

[vacuumcat]

Feedback :

1. The in game feedback (info from asst manager) isn't good. I feel totally disconnected to what my team is doing. 

For example, the graphic on passing is useless. After 15 mins it is so cluttered with passes it is just a mess. You can't tell anything from it.

It feels like things are fired too fast and none really give an impression of what's happening on the pitch. 

The tactical alterations I make are just guesses. Rather than informed decisions. 

2. Get far too many suggestions to sub players (about 5 each half)

3.  [this might be a defect] Need more stages of condition statuses. Agree with moving away from % but need a couple more increments between ok, good, perfect.

I find some star players aren't in my suggested XI even tho their health shows green. I play them and 15 mins in they're yellow and being suggested to be subbed.

So the asst mgr knows they're not healthy enough but the condition view is not precise enough to let me know.

4. Skin is way too dark. It is overbearing and really hurts my eyes. Need a lighter, softer skin option.

5. [possible defect] Have general passing short, specific player instruction short and play out of defence. GK and CBs keep hoofing balls. 

 

[KiLLu12258]

vor 1 Stunde schrieb fmaberdeenfan:

Need this for every match, not just cup finals!

oh yeah.

 

on the one hand i get that its cool to have something special for big matches. but man just to show something cool only to a few matches for the sake of being special is a bit senseless, especially as if we play in the first league every match is shown in tv anyway so there is no reason to hide it.

So pls SI add this for every match in higher leagues.

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by KiLLu12258

[Christmas]

7 minutes ago, vikeologist said:

It is now massively easier to get a job when you start unemployed.

Even if you start aged 20, with no qualifications or experience, you can get a first job at a 3star reputation club. Examples are multiple English Championship clubs and top foreign clubs such as Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa.

Sometimes the game suggests that vacancies like this are unrealistic in the 'weekly jobs update', sometimes it recommends them. That feature seems all over the place.

By way of comparison, since FM15 the level of first job one can get has slowly lowered, and in FM20, the best one could hope for would probably be a 1.5 star team, such as in the English Conference.

This is a massive change, and though frankly even getting a first job in the Conference strained credulity, getting jobs with the likes of Stoke and Willem II (in Holland) and the aforementioned Kaizer Chiefs seems too unrealistic.

Is this a deliberate adjustment on the part of SI, or a bug?

I have complained against this already. However, I disagree that it was any different in FM20. 

[MrManagerMan]

1 hour ago, fmaberdeenfan said:

Need this for every match, not just cup finals!

Yeah looks great. Having it on every match would be good - otherwise I’ll never see it. 
 

More from SI TV please!

[vikeologist]

8 minutes ago, Christmas said:

I have complained against this already. However, I disagree that it was any different in FM20. 

Well, I run a challenge based on this exact starting scenario, so I know exactly how much easier it is, and it has been replicated multiple times.

In FM20, you would only get jobs in the Conference, which I believe were 1.5 star jobs.

Since FM15 it has got slightly harder each iteration, but it is now much easier than even FM15.

If it's deliberate, fine, but it's a massive adjustment, and in the polar opposite of what I always assumed were deliberate incremental changes in each version.

It is a massive change.

Edited November 15, 2020 by vikeologist

[Christmas]

In FM20 also too many manager jumps. Sacked 3x in EFL? No problem, have an EFL job.

Mr Brocks said code to stop manager broken not getting jobs. OK no problem, make it never drop below lowest active league.

Current game settings destroy journeyman and all sense of career growth achievement. New job is RNG

[KloppRodgersHodgson]

20 hours ago, kingking said:

What do you guys dislike about A.I Managers?

They don’t seem to mind the PE Teacher... Utd always overperform in FM.

[KloppRodgersHodgson]

19 hours ago, spitznspots said:

Hi All,

 

I'm not sure if I have inadvertently stumbled upon an unbeatable tactic - I doubt it. The more likely scenario would be the AI is far too passive/not adaptable or smart enough. Playing with a gegenpressing style as Portsmouth, I am demolishing teams in the FA cup (Fulham 5-1, Derby 4-0), am I top of League one and barely concede a goal with xG against is very very low. Having not played the game since FM14 days, I'm still getting to grips with the far more in depth nature of the new game; I am no expert. The game needs to be harder!!?? Either that, or Kenny Jackett is an awful, awful manager in real life.

 

Happy playing everyone.

 

No, that’s FM theses days.
 

Wonderful presentation, but a half-decent team with a sensible but  aggressive tactic will massively overperform.

[vikeologist]

6 minutes ago, Christmas said:

In FM20 also too many manager jumps. Sacked 3x in EFL? No problem, have an EFL job.

Mr Brocks said code to stop manager broken not getting jobs. OK no problem, make it never drop below lowest active league.

Current game settings destroy journeyman and all sense of career growth achievement. New job is RNG

I can see this. There were lots of nations where you couldn't get a job in any division (at least not with lowest rep etc). Pretty much all of South America, though I think it was just possible in one S American nation, but only just.

So sounds deliberate.

But being able to get 3 star jobs (sorry if this is a spoiler) is just too much. Can they not make it possible to get jobs at this level if you have reputation or qualifications.

It has pretty much ruined The Ultimate Football Manager Challenge.

Edited November 15, 2020 by vikeologist

[KloppRodgersHodgson]

18 hours ago, Viking said:I assume this is a bug? Otherwise I think I'll never learn tactics in FM.

I find this really simple. Straight away, I can see that the number 22 was really far down the right flank attacking, or really far back down the left flank defending at one point 👍

[Viking]

The schedule have a nasty habit of returning to the top of the list every now and then, instead of showing the fixtures for the current date. I start to believe this is by design and not a bug as I've had it since FM20?

[KloppRodgersHodgson]

17 hours ago, thiagoanjo said:

Yeah, I had missunterstood that. I conclude it is pretty much irrelevant for the way I analyze my matches.

It’s really useful if you want to know if your play is creating good chances, I.e. carving the opposition open, or rubbish, shoot-from-tight-angles through a crowded box chances.
 

Not all shots are equal.

[KloppRodgersHodgson]

17 hours ago, fm2020.smith said:

some more feedback after 6 months in game

playing younger  players has too much effect on tbe match, i tend to trust actual football managers over programmers and klopp is able to play some younger kids but if you do this in ga,e it destroys the match. 

already noted the crossing. a bug that dates back a few years is still here

asking to change existing affiliate doesnt work 

team talks already been said all over the place 

when teams want a player on loan even for the best players they dont offer anything for the loan just want your player for free

media done by fans is just wierd saying salah shouldnt be playing at this level and stuff. at least put some intelligent things in there 

feedback from board is too harsh, draw with city away and they are dissapointed, second oin the league and 3 points off top and they are dissapointed 

city is liverpools biggest  game and its top against 2nd and voirtually no build up and press conf is rubbish barely 2 things said. at least make a big deal of the massive games make it feel like this is a game of the giants 

older players playing too much. cavani for man u is playing every game. in real life hes too old and is barely used 

 

but thats not much on the negative side, not got time to go into all the positives, the best beta ive played for a long time and im hooked already and played over 40 hours so little bit of tuning and this is going to be fantastic 

 

If I were Utd manager, I’d play Cavani over Martial every match.

[KloppRodgersHodgson]

17 hours ago, Tomwood91 said:

Hi,

 

Alot of people want to play 2 player football manager without the restraints of having to be online at the same time. Would it be possible that outside of transfer windows one player could continue and the games would synchronise as the others catch up? Obviously you'd have to stop and wait when you got to a head to head match.

Oh dear, Tom.

You’ve been watching Spider-Man in the Spiderverse too much.

[Dagenham_Dave]

2 hours ago, fmaberdeenfan said:

Need this for every match, not just cup finals!

One question. When you get this screen, can you hover over the names so it gives you info like 'making debut' or 'top goalscorer' etc like it did in last year's game?

But on the whole, I agree, this needs to be for every match. 

[KloppRodgersHodgson]

17 hours ago, Rakiye said:

I know it has been brought up many times, but I have to say the emojis for physical condition and match sharpness are a backwards step for me. They maybe handy when playing via a mobile phone, but they are obscure and childlike when trying to seriously manage your teams fitness and condition. 

I absolutely get that you cant totally breakdown a players fitness by numbers, but why have number ratings at all for attributes if that's the case? How can you say that Virgil Van Dijk has a 17 out of 20 for 'Tackling' yet has a sort of a smiley face for fitness and a thumbs up for match sharpness? it completely contradicts the whole process. You often hear players and coaches say they are 80 or 90% fit so its not unrealistic.

There are 3 specialist job roles now in football manager for players surrounding there fitness and condition. Sports scientists, fitness coaches and physios. You often have numerous of them at a club. so to see a smiley face and a thumbs up when it comes down to a precise science of fitness, sharpness and condition, is just a massive step backwards and hugely unhelpful when managing a team.

Manager- "So, fitness coach. How do you assess/gauge my strikers match sharpness for next weeks crucial cup game?"

Fitness coach- "red box with a black upside down thumb"

Manager- "remind me why I pay your wage again?"

So lets get things in perspective here. We get xG, performance & recruitment analysts to further help us manage our clubs. Fitness, sharpness & condition wise we get emojis...

Agree wholeheartedly with this. I don’t want to know whether someone is 95% or 96%, but I absolutely should know 95% from 80%.

With all the fitness bods at the club, there is a huge difference between 80% and 95%.

Someone earlier said they can now play players Sat/Tues/Sat with the new system. You could ALWAYS do that, but you wouldn’t have done as you’d have rested the players on 85% to get the best team performance.

You just don’t see that in the new system.

[Dagenham_Dave]

The percentages might not have been particularly realistic, but in a strategy game that is built around numerical values, it was far more useful. I've seen a massive increase in injuries for my team this season, and I'm not convinced it isn't linked to this. 

The new system only works if we're still able to get enough information to make an informed choice. At the moment, that's not happening. 

[XaW]

1 hour ago, Svenc said:

It is of note that very few players on any level actually outperform their xG with some consistency. Messi, for instance. Immobile in Serie A had outperformed his xG by almost 8 goals last term, however he too doesn't do this every season at all despite being a clinical finisher. I think this may be worth mentioning, as no matter how great a player, he won't turn a chance into an altogether different one. Competitive sports is all about getting a few margins of edges. If you're competing with the likes of Messi et all in football, you are already pretty damn good at what you are doing -- usually you belong to the best athletes of your generation, even if you kick a ball at little Eibar.

The expectation in-game may be something else. A truly worldclass finisher should bag a couple of (crucially) extra goals per season, but there should be a limit. Generally, the chance matters more than the player who has it (and the vast majority of players scores about as much as their xG suggests). As players don't have xG data in their in-game profile yet, it's hardish to keep track of that. Then again, it likely would make the game a tad easy, in particular if xG isn't actually used by AI managers all the same.  

Yeah, I tried to simplify it, but yes, it's hard to be consistent in football. My main "go to" player for beating xG is Jamie Vardy.

This is from Understat and he has 5 season over xG and 2 seasons below in the stats available. But as you say, if you are competing with the finishing of Vardy, you are quite good!

[2feet]

If you click on the clock during a game, something nice happens...... try it!

[andu1]

2 hours ago, fmaberdeenfan said:

Need this for every match, not just cup finals!

This screen is beautiful, it should not be hidden just for special matches.

[Guest]

Seriously missing the ability to scroll back and (then) forward through the 'live' match, particularly the ability to to select goals via the 'ball' icon as in fm20 and earlier.

Er... anybody tell me how to turn off the text commentary at the bottom of the match screen, please.

[Deisler26]

I'm enjoying this iteration of FM. But, the xG is making me laugh so far. 6 games I've had an xG over one and not scored

[2feet]

REARRANGE COLUMNS IN SCOUTING ASSIGNMENTS TO PRIORITISE CURRENT ASSIGNMENT

(see image attached)

[ChelseaFan]

Ok so I've had a bit of time with the game. Overall, I'm really impressed. However, I have some nagging issues, mostly to do with the UI, but one match engine complaint too.

Match Engine

• When players are wide, they rarely cross as soon as possible. They slow down, wait and by then the chance has gone for a quick cross. They seem to wait for their defenders to start pressing them. Most of the time, they shift it on their other foot and then pass it backwards. Really annoying when you want your winger or full back to get to the by-line and cross quickly.

UI

• Role Suitability indicator

Need this back as a circle graphic next to your player name chaps. An additional click to check star ratings, takes the flow out of the game. This was never a problem? Why remove it? 

• Interactable Tactic 'Chalkboard'

Why is the most important part of the in-game tactical interface relegated to a little view in the corner? I want to be able to use the same size chalkboard in-game and not just when on the tactics screen pre-match. Dragging and dropping is much more friendly. 

• Pass Maps view in the dugout

It's impossible to get any useful data from this. It's just a mess of lines. 

• Camera Settings don't save

A small issue granted, but annoying - I have my camera setting on TV, but the height isn't saved from my previous save. I have to manually set it every game.

• Team Talk View

Urgh, I hardly spend any time here now. The new view is annoying. I have to look all around the screen to see my players instead of a nice neat list

 

I think all the above has been raised before, and in far more detail. The game is probably the best iteration I've played at this point, mostly due to the match engine. You deserve a clap on the back with this. Truly fantastic. I'm actually quite worried that any fixes made in the next few weeks will do more harm than good!

The UI is probably the worst for a while. I'm not sure why it needed changing (well, I do, because of consoles...). That's a shame. It seems slightly disrespectful cheating on your main audience to cater to the console boys. 

Hopefully we some some changes in this department, or at least add some flexibility and make the UI much more customisable. 

[Spedding]

6 minutes ago, ChelseaFan said:

 

• Interactable Tactic 'Chalkboard'

Why is the most important part of the in-game tactical interface relegated to a little view in the corner? I want to be able to use the same size chalkboard in-game and not just when on the tactics screen pre-match. Dragging and dropping is much more friendly. 

its still there but minimized you need to expand it to get the full pitch in the top left corner it says-    tactics >>  that expands it

[Fritz13]

1 hour ago, KloppRodgersHodgson said:

Agree wholeheartedly with this. I don’t want to know whether someone is 95% or 96%, but I absolutely should know 95% from 80%.

With all the fitness bods at the club, there is a huge difference between 80% and 95%.

Someone earlier said they can now play players Sat/Tues/Sat with the new system. You could ALWAYS do that, but you wouldn’t have done as you’d have rested the players on 85% to get the best team performance.

You just don’t see that in the new system.

I did see something yesterday which was a player showing the full green heart. It with an unfit icon too so wasn’t sure it that was meant to indicate that they were maybe leaning towards 80% rather than say 85%

[Svenc]

48 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

I'm enjoying this iteration of FM. But, the xG is making me laugh so far. 6 games I've had an xG over one and not scored

In 2017/2018 Crystal Palace didn't score a goal in the first 7 matches despite an xG of over 7 total (off ~80 shots). If things are working "correctly", this means you probably had a bit of a streak of bad luck in there and don't necessarily need to panic, which is one of the uses of analysing chances. Palace started as dead last but finished safe mid-table.

[ImDaWeasel]

Yeah I'm pretty much all but done with press conferences and team talks already. Was a fun niche thing to begin with but now it's just fm20 with a glossy new coat of paint.

Shame as it could've been something to add the realism but maybe could be the basis for something better in future.

Have gotten used to the match UI now but it's still extremely inconvenient. Would like the bottom bar my team stuff moved to the left, the last 10 mins possession bar brought back to the bottom alongside a bigger text commentary and the match stats/attack focus/recent action stuff on the right. Still plenty of room for the highlights in the middle and the new dugout and opposition data in between the highlights.

Love the goal scorer and VAR graphics (although VAR stays up for too long and takes up too much room).

[Deisler26]

10 minutes ago, Svenc said:

In 2017/2018 Crystal Palace didn't score a goal in the first 7 matches despite an xG of over 7 total (off ~80 shots). If things are working "correctly", this means you probably had a bit of a streak of bad luck in there and don't necessarily need to panic, which is one of the uses of analysing chances. Palace started as dead last but finished safe mid-table.

I'm sure it's wonderful, but I've deleted every widget with it on and sacked my performance analyst. It's pointless me trying to analyse this, playing in the Danish 3rd tier

[Prej]

Guys, please don't say anything about crossing being way better than in FM20 or they'll nerf it again. 

[Icy]

hace 2 horas, vikeologist dijo:

Well, I run a challenge based on this exact starting scenario, so I know exactly how much easier it is, and it has been replicated multiple times.

In FM20, you would only get jobs in the Conference, which I believe were 1.5 star jobs.

Since FM15 it has got slightly harder each iteration, but it is now much easier than even FM15.

If it's deliberate, fine, but it's a massive adjustment, and in the polar opposite of what I always assumed were deliberate incremental changes in each version.

It is a massive change.

Saw this as well. Past year starting a journeyman with no badges and Sunday league experience with all Major Europeans leagues and their lower tiers loaded I could only land a job in the conference north or south (6th tier). In fm21 I started a save like that and I was offered a job in the Spanish 2B (3rd tier) and in the English conference (5th tier) so I’d say that in average you get now offers one tier above past year. 
 

I’ll still set my own house rule to not to take a job that I don’t think I deserve but I can see how it could be a problem for others.

Edited November 15, 2020 by Icy

[Icy]

hace 3 minutos, Prej dijo:

Guys, please don't say anything about crossing being way better than in FM20 or they'll nerf it again. 

Agree, let’s please don’t touch the ME from the beta. I know it can always be better, but it can also be screwed up and so far I’m having more fun that I haven’t in the last 3 years with FM.

[lex311085]

2 hours ago, KloppRodgersHodgson said:

They don’t seem to mind the PE Teacher... Utd always overperform in FM.

That's because Man Utd on paper are a good team. It's just that SI need to make manager attributes mean something. For example if you put Klopp/Guardiolas attributes down to 1 using the editor they'll still get into good positions in the league regardless

[Lempicka]

Half a season in and I'm still impressed with the ME. The match UI could do with a tweak though.
 

Edited November 15, 2020 by Lempicka

[DP]

1 hour ago, lex311085 said:

That's because Man Utd on paper are a good team. It's just that SI need to make manager attributes mean something. For example if you put Klopp/Guardiolas attributes down to 1 using the editor they'll still get into good positions in the league regardless

They’re not a title winning team on paper though. They have no prolific forwards, a shaky back line, no settled midfield and zero wide play. 

[Valleyg]

3 hours ago, Viking said:

The schedule have a nasty habit of returning to the top of the list every now and then, instead of showing the fixtures for the current date. I start to believe this is by design and not a bug as I've had it since FM20?

I'm glad someone has mentioned this, its only a little thing, but this drives me mad having to scroll back down the fixture list every time I look at it. Is there a way to lock it in place does anyone know? Same in fm20 I think. 

[thomas_e]

The most important thing about FM is the match engine. In FM20 this didn't live up to expectations at all which I think everyone can agree on. 

This year it really is brilliant! Thank you so much. Nothing more to say really, it's 10 out of 10! 

The Match UI isn't great, but I do like some of the features, especially the heart icons as they are more realistic. 

But I have to say that I am really, really dissapointed about the lag during games. This has affected many users the last few years, even though we have computers good enough to run much more demanding games. And I dont feel that this issue really has been adressed. Only my opinion! 

[kandersson]

We really need timeline, possession bar and custom widgets back in match day UI. It's that simple.

[ManicStreetFootballFan]

game crashes for me whenever I try to do my recruitment meeting ahead of the 2nd season, gonna try skipping it completely but it's happened twice now so could be a  bug.

[RobertPage]

Really enjoying the match engine this year. Is the best since fm12 in my opinion. Still goalkeepers are a big problem though. Shot stopping has improved but movement, especially from balls that go from one side to the other (I.E crosses from left to the far post). Too often goalkeepers just stop and dive when they reach the middle of the goal, so with the angle its pretty much an open goal for the attacker. Also penalty animations are inconsistent. The game has lost that feeling of certain events leading to those moments that leave you feeling like you've been "Fm'd" (which is a huge positive) but penalties still give me this feeling where it feels like the outcome of penalties are pre determined 

[ManicStreetFootballFan]

3 minutes ago, ManicStreetFootballFan said:

game crashes for me whenever I try to do my recruitment meeting ahead of the 2nd season, gonna try skipping it completely but it's happened twice now so could be a  bug.

okay, I think it could be related to doing 2 in a row with different managers as I ended the meeting immediately with my 2nd team and now it works for the 1st team without the crash.

[Prej]

9 minutes ago, kandersson said:

We really need timeline, possession bar and custom widgets back in match day UI. It's that simple.

We need to tell SI how much we love the match day UI and how many goals we can produce thanks to it. Come the winter patch, we'll have the FM20 UI right back.

[lex311085]

14 minutes ago, DP said:

They’re not a title winning team on paper though. They have no prolific forwards, a shaky back line, no settled midfield and zero wide play. 

i guess you could say the same about any team in regards to expectations/probabilities. Would Liverpool players have been expected to win leagues and european cups for example Alexander Arnold who no one thought would become one of the best right backs in the world when he was outplayed by Marcus Rashford 4 years ago, Robertson becoming one of the best left backs in the world. Wijnaldum alright at newcastle but not world class when he signed for Liverpool, Mane, good at southampton but not world class when he signed for Liverpool, Salah, flopped at Chelsea, no one thought he would reach the heights he has when he signed for Liverpool, Henderson, lifting a premier league and European cup as an influential leader, Firmino was awful when he first signed. Point is despite none of these players were expected to be world beaters and didn't look anything special on paper a few years ago but through great coaching they were. 

Which brings me to my point that AI managers attributes need to play more of a role otherwise whats the point in having them.

Edited November 15, 2020 by lex311085

[ManicStreetFootballFan]

apparently the transfer windows are all set to 1900...pretty sure 2021/2022 isn't in 1900 but I could be wrong and the world is about to reset to that year...