Build 26360400

Early Access ends today. With 2.0 comes the biggest addition since launch, a new tactics system: you see what your plan does before kick-off, and the opponent remembers how you play.

Tactics

• Game plan on the 3D board. You set it for each phase of play, and the board shows runs and zones in club colours.

• Trial run. Simulated practice matches against your next opponent show where your chances come from, what it costs (fitness in the 70th minute, yellow cards) and how they adjust.

• Variants. The search turns every open slider one notch further and only shows what clearly beats chance.

• Dossier. You read what the opponent played last. In return, the AI adapts to your signature style. Play the same way every time and they will read you.

• High pressing now helps a lot, but it costs a lot of stamina and, over several matchdays, wears out even a big squad.

Matchday

• Touchline shouts at the press of a key (Q to O), together with the broadcast controls in one panel. If you change things at half-time, the opponent answers from the 55th minute.

• Half-time dressing room: moments from the first half as a replay, and after your team talk you see who is on board.

• More scenes, your request from the forum: choose every save and yellow card, or every shot, from 11,332 scenes.

• The goalscorer in the scene is the one from the ticker. Before, a different player scored in 109 of 248 goals.

• If you opened tactics during a scene, you could lose a penalty that had been given. Fixed.

Squad and transfers

• New Offers tab with one card per player you are courting. Offering and loaning out work straight from the player card.

• The assistant coach makes substitutions in windows you drag along a timeline. If they hold subs back for you, you keep a window too. Before, you were left with half-time only.

Music and characters

• Ten new tracks, now 49, a player in the tab bar, and the music can keep playing during the match. Plus 16 new hairstyles and new facial features.

Other

• Before release I combed through the game in five waves of testing. Among other things, headed goals from corners sometimes counted for the wrong team, the domestic cup winner was missing from European competition, and AI clubs in tier 3 put 72% of their income into wages after five seasons, now 38%.

Thanks to everyone who played during Early Access and wrote to me. Keep telling me what you notice.