Nothing I would call amazing, if I'm honest. The international management thing doesn't interest me, personally. I prefer to play as the full team, so am unlikely to make use of the BAP changes. I already knew that managers will be seen on the touchline.
I would have eagerly swapped all of the above for some kind of Training feature, without hesitation.
So the only bit that sounds great is the Transfer Negotiations bit, but that's the kind of stuff I would have expected in a yearly update.
The In Match Live Score updates might be a nice touch.
My initial impressions are similar. Actually, I'd have to say that I'm pretty darn disappointed, especially after murmurings of the last few days.
There are three basic elements of CM: 1) the matches; 2) match-to-match squad/club management; and 3) transfers.
One of the biggest complaints for years now has been that there's not enough to do between matches, that there's not enough actual "management" features. Again, nothing really has been done to improve 2) match-to-match squad/club management.
Instead, the focus has been on areas 1) and 3).
Now, matches is clearly most important to the overall experience, but this is taken care of almost exclusively by gameplay, not by improvements to CM. Adding "In Match Live Score Updates" is a nice touch, but nothing more - it won't alter the experience to any great extent.
It also cannot be denied that transfers is a critical component of CM, and these improvements sound very good. But, you have to remember that you'll only be using these features intermittently - only twice a season.
So, of the three critical components - 1) the matches; 2) match-to-match squad/club management; and 3) transfers - the area that you will spend most of your time in, and the area that CM improvements have the greatest ability to impact the overall experience, is in what occurs from match-to-match - the nuts-and-bolts features of any management mode.
And what has been improved in this critical area? Not much from what I can see. Nothing about training, youth academy, scouting, chemistry, morale, form, team management, tactics, etc.
The only improvement I can tell is the Player Stories, but how much an impact do these stories have? From past experience, it's more a passive feature rather than one that requires active participation on your part. Personally, I think they might be an interesting diversion, especially in the beginning, but I don't see them influencing results or the overal experience to any substantial degree.
The addition of International Management sounds welcome, but is it anything more than a diversion away from what this mode is typically about - managing a club? Does it add depth to the mode, or just variety? Do I actually want more options to manage when the actual management features are so minimal?
Aside from the improvement to Transfers - which is critical - much of what's been announced sounds to me like presentation, diversion, and window-dressing, and it actually reminds me of EA's approach to gameplay pre FIFA 07/08 - a focus on presentation rather than the fundamental features that actually matter in the long run.
Hopefully the last announcement regarding CM that has yet to be released will be about something that'll actually improve the experience in-between matches - where often most of your time is spent in any management mode.
