Since it entered Advanced Access Beta, Football Manager 26 has received plenty of updates, and thankfully, it seems that it won't stop anytime soon, as the biggest update to date will go live soon, in the week of December 8.
Football Manager 26 Content Update 1 addresses many of the community complaints, introduces various fixes, quality of life improvements, and brings back one of the most beloved features in the Football Manager franchise, shouts.
The team at Sports Interactive is aware that a lot of work needs to be done to get Football Manager 26 where it needs to be, and Content Update 1 has all the ingredients to be a big step in that direction.
Shouts Are Coming To Football Manager 26!
This is, without a doubt, the biggest addition to Football Manager 26 as of yet, and arguably the most necessary one. According to Sports Interactive, players' time spent in-match went up 51% compared to Football Manager 24, which isn't a big surprise as the match day experience is by far the best thing about the game.
Without shouts, players will find themselves looking around for something to do during the match, especially veteran Football Manager players. It also takes a big part of the immersion out of the game, as being able to talk to your players, even if it's just to demand more of them, makes the game feel more realistic and interesting.
Shouts are still not in the place Sports Interactive wants them to be, and they stil don't fully work as the company intends, but that's not really important. Even if it's just a placebo, if they do not affect the match outcome or the players' performance on the pitch, it helps connect managers with everything going on inside the four lines and makes the match-day experience even more authentic.
Removing shouts was a big mistake, even if the feature wasn't perfect. Keeping the feature as it was, and working on an improved version for Football Manager 27, should have been the decision. But at least Sports Interactive acknowledged their mistake, and is bringing the feature back.
Quality of Life Improvements and Match Engine Upgrades
The Football Manager 26 Content Update 1 will also introduce many quality-of-life improvements, including enhancements to loan screens, player searches, profiles, and player training tooltips.
The additions coming to the match engine are also significant, and developers have been working on them since the last update went live. Here are all of them:
- Tweaks to the frequency of players shooting at the near post from tight angles
- Improvements to defender reactions against opposition dribbling
- Tweaks were made to the line defenders' hold when defending in their own box
- Improved logic in defenders' decision-making with headers when not under pressure
- Improved the attacking movement of players during counter-attacking transitions
- Various other AI tweaks
More information about the Football Manager 26 Content Update 1 is expected to be revealed as we get closer to the update release date.
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