I Went To London For A Reason + 2.7 Content Update plans
So the difficult thing with what I'm about to say is that anything I share is either too vague or leaves more questions than it answers. Bear with me on that, this is super new to me too and I want to make sure I get it right. I do want to start that the feeling being encouraging.
I went to the studio yesterday. I met some of the team and was interviewed for a potential role by people who have been at the company longer than I've been alive. I'm 25, you do the math. It was a very comfortable, very technical chat where they asked about my knowledge, my skills, and we looked at roles within the team. For now I'm not going to be joining, and unlike earlier it is well thought out now, and that's simply because I'm finishing my bachelor first.
Now for the important bit, and what I want the takeaway to be here: nobody is happy with how things are, and they are working overtime to fix it.
The work being done behind the scenes is genuinely impressive. And they are NOT doing things to mess with modders. Let me give you a couple of publicly known examples.
The UI speed option that got removed? That's because the UI speed is now significantly faster than it was. The option became redundant. Some functions that skins relied on aren't used anymore, and that's why certain skins might break. There's a new function that does it better. It's not malicious, it's progress.
I also saw some of what they're planning for FM27 and on a technical level it's very encouraging. We had some good discussions which I will keep private.
Look, I want to keep you lot informed and be transparent. I hope you feel that. I truly want to be that way. But please trust me when I say Sports Interactive and everyone affiliated are the ones most disappointed and the most hell bent on fixing this game.
The feeling is very positive from my end.
If you are a paying Patreon member, have no fears. I am not going anywhere. Not yet in any case until I finish my bachelor.
And honestly, to all of you, thank you for making shit like this possible. The financial support has allowed me to be as invested in this as I am, and I'm genuinely grateful. Yesterday really felt like a weight off my shoulders. Reflecting on the last few months, the past 72 hours have been truly mad. Norwegian teacher goes to a game studio that's been doing this for 32 years because he was annoyed at the game and thought he could do it better.
Ridiculous really 😁
What's Next
While I was travelling today I drafted a few ideas. I want to try something new with the cameras. They sadly won't be fully configurable yet, but I have an idea.
I'm also going to start putting steps in motion for a stadium customizer so you can mix and match stadium parts. We'll see how realistic that is.
Crowd and seat plan changes are obviously in the works, as is the lighting overhaul.
What's coming in 2.7 (not a full version, just an update):
Crowd Kit creator overhaul
Will be a more intuitive UI
Ability to store/save kit presets and bring em back, ideal for older databases like the ones from MrTini and MadScientist databases.
Light probes for the top 5 leagues (going country by country, based on age. A lot of the older stadiums use mixed lights which is chugging things down, like France for example)
Performance improvements around loaders
Weather overhaul fix
Newgen face fix if things go to plan
Match balls in FM stadiums
Maybe a new crowd animation or two
I'm going to try and rest a bit because 72 hours on 4 hours of sleep isn't great. Don't worry, I'm fine, just a terrible sleeper when it comes to these sorts of events. If I feel like picking it up again I'll start tonight, or not 😁