It’s here. It landed on my Steam (metaphorical) doorstep a fortnight ago and I plunged straight in, ripping open the (metaphorical) envelope and burrowing straight into the contents with glee. There is much to like about this new version, even as a few kinks and oddities are being ironed out.

The darker skin is engaging and atmospheric, redolent maybe of night-time games under floodlights (and who doesn’t enjoy those?). The interface is largely smoother, though it can take time to locate things or, where transfers are concerned for example, to see that there is a slide bar that moves away to reveal more of the information on player positions and so on that we are used to. The in-game engine produces some anomalies, particularly weak goalkeeping and a very unhealthy shots: shots-on-target ratio. It is more realistic in appearance though and seems to have greater tactical integrity in translation of what you set-up to what you see on screen.

If there is a screen that still seems a bit confused, it is the training one. There is a bit too much information on here and it might benefit from some streamlining. The options for training remain the same, but by presenting the whole squad together rather than accessing them via individual players, it can be a bit clunky.

There are many new developments that I really like, though.

Press conferences, which now also include pre-game, in-the-tunnel queries, have a wider and more realistic set of answers. Individual chats with players can now be left to the club captain instead, and players have a more realistic (and, at times, histrionic) set of reactions. This includes the nascent player rebellion, most likely when you deny a move to a club favourite; there is much more of a sense that managing a dressing room full of egos and personalities is a significant part of the manager’s task.

Scouting has been re-vamped and you can now task scouts with finding replacements, first team candidates, or prospects for positions. The replacement feature is especially interesting, allowing a manager to ask scouts to look for players with like attributes to mirror an outgoing player, far easier than creating your own set of parameters based on attributes. There is also a degree of inaccuracy concerning players who may or may not develop, with the use of black in the star system to indicate uncertainty around potential; this again adds to the realism. You can also request scouts to monitor players for time periods rather than match periods to increase your knowledge of a prospective signing.

Tactically, the set-up screen is more user-friendly in my opinion, though I have seen some people who are less keen. There are new player roles, too: the Raumdeter, a kind of inside forward-cum-trequartista; the roaming playmaker, a deep-lying playmaker with box-to-box attributes; and the inverted wing-back, defensively normal but like an inside forward in attack. The roaming playmaker is particularly welcome as an addition and appears to have real possibilities when the right player occupies the role.

I would like to see a few minor changes: when a player is dropped to the reserves or youth team, on previous instantiations it was clear from the header bar, whereas now it is not. It is also harder to navigate the tactics screen as a means of squad selection pre-match. The end game screen is also less detailed, with no reflection from the pundit on whether the game went as expected, which was a small touch but one I always enjoyed.

All in all, though, this version of Football Manager is an improvement and in the best way: it adds things you didn’t know you’d been missing. It looks good, some clutter aside, and the side-bar navigation works once you get used to it. I really like the increased personal, almost psychological aspect of the manager’s role and the greater range of conversational and press conference options. Scouting is more realistic and helpful and the tactical changes allow for greater innovation and flexibility.

I am about to embark on an epic FC Nantes save. I’ll also be posting a variety of tips and player previews over the coming weeks. Stay tuned, peeps.