A new Football Manager 2018 video unloads a few feature ‘rumours’ (and then basically confirms them all) in a sort of meta news report. Match engine changes, scouting differences, and something mysterious called ‘dynamics’ are all discussed to varying degrees.
Putting it all together, it sounds like matches will be portrayed in a new engine, with new motion capture animations from Creative Assembly, and other ‘unannounced changes’ relating to that studio’s artists. Scouting in Football Manager 2018 will apparently “better reflect how real clubs recruit players,” and Sports Interactive will be taking note of the massive inflation in transfer fees being spent by certain clubs (hello, PSG).
Something is happening with the Sports Scientists and tactics too (the former might actually do something this time), though an expansion of ‘depth’ doesn’t really confirm much at this point.
The enigmatic ‘dynamics’ come up a few times throughout, too. SI’s Miles Jacobson says it’s one of the “big new features” in Football Manager 2018. He doesn’t say much else on that subject, other than to expect a series of videos on the topic in October. However, the conclusion of this video does show some Work In Progress screens which include a look at said dynamics.
You can see screencaps of those, below. Click for a larger version (although they’re kind of blurry even on the original footage, so it’s not all that easy to read). Broadly speaking it looks like a clearer visual representation of the player ‘hierarchy’ at the club. Who are the leaders, who are the influential players, and so on. The second screen shows ‘core social groups’ among the squad too.
This sort of thing will presumably come into play when you sign a new player and want to get them integrated. Personalities, language differences, etc. It may also be a good way of seeing whether the bulk of your players are united under your managerial skills, or plotting some kind of dressing room coup.
Football Manager 2018 will be out on 10 November. Here’s the video (and those images).
