Football Manager 2021 - Part Review:-
So in my previous post, I wrote how I didn't think that FM 2021 was a worthy upgrade from FM 2020.
Don't get me wrong it is still a fantastic game, but for those on the fence it is certainly a non purchase unless it gets to maybe just over the £10 mark.
I have got some examples on this with screenshots, but I don't have some for other bits, and I will probably ellaborate on other bits over the next few days.
Player Conversations:-
This has always been an issue with FM, as every year they change the things you need to say to make a player happy leaving a meeting.
However in FM 2021, it seems no matter what you say or do in Team Meetings the players always feel pissed off and angry with you, and big reds everywhere.
Absolutely nothing you say can make things better, and you just keep digging bigger holes.
I also find this year that if you sign a player they want to normally play a specific role, but again this becomes an issue as even if they play 100% of games but you play them as a target man instead of advanced forward they will demand to leave the club, and you keep breaking promises.
Therefore player conversations have become an issue in this version of FM.
Match Day Experience:-
So they have made a few changes to the match day experience - Mainly a massive overhaul to the amount displayed when in-game, which is kind of better, but maybe too much.
The first change I really dislike is the new Team Talk screen, this has been changed from Angry, Assertive, Confident - To know being gestures - Open arms, Point finger and so on.
TBH, you do get used to this, but it is a massive step back..
There is one - Throw the water bottle, and no matter when you do this you will piss off your entire team.
The other options seem to have very little effect on your Team, it is now more what you say than how you say it - Massive step back.
The match itself, now contains a lot of information on the screen, which personally I liked the minimalistic look of FM 2020, with the option to add more if you desired.
Then comes the tactic screen.
When making a sub the screen comes up really small and you now have to expand it, rather than FM 2020 it came up really big.
This isn't too much of an issue as you just have to keep clicking the expand button.
Other issue:-
The other issues I will probably expand on as I play it more often, but the general game feels pretty much exactly the same except for the weird issues above.
Brexit is an absolute bitch - Not just in real life, but on the game too - The same rules now apply for EU players as the rest of the world, so you can no longer sign youngsters from EU countries, as they have not played the correct number of international games and so on, therefore making it incredibly difficult to sign young players and build for the future.
Fixes:-
The big fixes I noticed this year, is they have really fixed the board interactions.
So in FM 2020, they basically accepted all your requests, so you could have 15 coaches at Exeter City in L1 if you keep asking for it all the time, and the board pretty much gave you everything you asked for.
After 2 years with Exeter this time, they have allowed just 1 additional coach and have improved the training facilities after being promoted to L1.
All other requests have been rejected due to Financial constraints and unlike FM 2020 - The classic but were being left behind, does not stick, and the board will litterally always be on the stance which is best for the club financially.
This does make the game obviously harder, but feels much more realistic that you are actually being constrained by the club due to finances.
Those are my initial impressions, and I am sure I have probably missed an awful lot out.
I will actually make notes next few times I play and add to this.
