Have you been having fun with the game? regardless of the UI issues? a few months ago I had a great time with fm24 even though my knowledge in soccer is 4/10 at best, so having deep systems don't really affect me much. I reinstalled 26 today to see how updates had improved from launch bugs. Don't know if I should just continue my Parma save in Italian league in 24 or give this a new start.
And if you are not really enjoying or find it a mediocre FM, why would you choose to play over 24? Im just asking as to what keeps you coming back to 26 (Im guessing the 200+ hrs is the save including FM24 + FM26). You stuck with it because you transferred the save? Or maybe you played FM24 to the ground and needed a change?
200hrs of this save were in FM24, the remaining 18hrs or so have been persisting with FM26.
Why move on from FM24? Well, I was playing it via Game Pass, and when 26 launched it was removed. So I had to make the choice between paying for it*, or moving on to the "new and improved" game.
*or borrow a login from an incredibly kind Evo-Webber with permanent access to it who offered to help!
By this point I had played FM24 to death and I wanted to move on - in the same way that e.g. PES 5/6, FIFA 16 etc. are great, but every game becomes predictable and dull when you play it exclusively. I don't want to play those games any more (it's just that no modern game cares as much about football as those games did).
But I have to ask myself, what does FM26 do that's better (seeing as it's clear what's worse)?
- The tactics engine is better given that you have with/without-ball options. I'm not sure if this extra complexity makes the match engine worse, though (because players seem to repeat the same patterns over and over, with matches all feeling incredibly familiar).
- The addition of the TransferRoom stuff is more realistic, specifying what you need and looking at what other clubs need.
- The graphics are better, but 1) largely thanks to the modding community and 2) the graphics were never a motivating factor in my decision.
- There are more licenses ... who cares.
Outside of the above, the game doesn't feel deeper - it actually feels shallower, due to things like pass maps being missing, and some of the match stats being wildly unrealistic (such as the OPPDA figures - "Opposition Passes Per Defensive Action").
But by the same token, I can't go back to the old game, so I'm "stuck", and keep coming back to FM26 after each patch.
Why don't I just not play it, or play a different game? That's a much deeper conversation. Miles Jacobsen once talked about the "responsibility" FM has to those players who may not like their 9-5 job, and can replace their world with a whole alternate universe where they have their dream job. I honestly believe it's an excellent mental health tool (though it has also been cited in divorces, and as the reason why people have dropped out of university)!
FM is more than a game for a lot of people. It's another world they can lose themselves in - and it's been there for as long as I can remember. As a football fan, no other type of game can replace football games for me. They don't connect with me in the same way. So, here I am, hoping SI get their act together but knowing they won't.
