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Football Manager 2012 announced

Improvements and details revealed.

Football Manager 2012 has been announced and will be released "before Christmas".

Sega and developer Sports Interactive highlighted the key improvements.

Loyalty bonuses have been added to the transfer and contracts part of the game. The amateur and youth contracts have been smartened up, and you can lock variables in negotiations where you aren't prepared to budge.

Scouts now deliver in-game reports that consider nearly all aspects of an opponent's game to ensure you're well prepared before kick-off.

The 3D Match has been improved with new animations, "a whole new crowd system", better weather, more stadiums and two new camera angles: Behind Goal and Director Cam.

Football Manager 2012 lets you add or take away playable nations from your saved game whenever you like.

Tone has been added to team talks and conversations, which lets you dictate whether you want to be calm or hot-headed.

There's a new layout system that adapts to higher resolution screens by displaying more content. There are new filters, customisable columns, tactics and overview screens as well.

Football Manager 2012 offers a new and separate tutorial for new players.

Sega and Sports Interactive also outlined "huge improvements" to the media system, press conferences, youth system, newgens, social networking options, friendlies, international management "and many more" areas of the game.