I would like to share with you my newgen replacement pack. The pack currently consists of:
160,000 male player pictures across 60 different ethnicity categories
18000 female player pictures - this base pack is still under development, not every nation/ethnicity is covered yet.
18000 staff pictures for both male and female.
You can have a preview of my pictures and (almost all) ethnicity categories here:
MALE PICTURE SHOWCASE
FEMALE PICTURE SHOWCASE
For FM26, you can get the pack in two versions:
a) Single Bundle File (NG_Regens Lite Experience)
This is a single bundle file that you can place in your FM26 folder. It's easy to install and use, but it's significantly limited in what it can do, how many faces it includes, and what methods are used to assign faces to newgens.
b) Full Experience with Custom Software
For Windows (FM26 and FM24) and Mac (FM26 or FM24 with the old shortlist method on the old 25 verison of the software) users I recommend the full experience with my custom software. It supports more than 10 times the number of pictures, categories, and assignment methods. For FM26 I'm currently investigating how to port this to Steam Deck.
THE FULL VERSION FOR WINDOWS(FM26 AND FM24) and macOS (FM26 only + FM24 via shortlists):
Follow the guide here:
FM26/FM24 WINDOWS GUIDE
or
FM26 MAC EARLY BETA GUIDE - Mac version is in VERY early beta stage, so errors are more than possible. Please report your issues in the comment section and I will get back to you. You can also use it for FM24 with shortlists export method.
LINUX/SteamDeck
I have prepared a Linux/StemDeck build, I have very limited gaming Linux experience and I dont own a SteamDeck so yeah, ideal combination 😄 I built and tested on CachyOS using Steam/Proton, so thats what it expects - this setup is the closest to a SteamDeck that I could get - (almost sure it wont work with Epic because of different folder structure). It doesnt require root to run the the GUI part (so you can probably theoretically make it run with FM24 shortlists, albeit I havent tested it), but it does require root for the scanner subprocess (there is probably another way via tinkering with /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope but Im not sure what is more/less invasive). The rest is identical to Windows guide.
https://download.ngregens.org/ng_regens_manager26-1.0.0-x86_64.AppImage
If you can open the page from your phone, but not from your pc, then it is your Windows Antivirus/WebFilter - You can try to whitelist *.ngregens.org somewhere in its settings. As another workaround you can try to set your Windows DNS Settings to use Google DNS 8.8.8.8 or Cloudflare DNS 1.1.1.1. You can find (not mine) guide on how to do that on your Windows machine here
THE BUNDLE REPLACEMENT METHOD:
If you're on Windows, I strongly recommend using the full experience of the pack with my custom software. However, if your platform isn't supported yet or you don't want to deal with the software I've created, I have a bundle file for you to use with the bundle replacement method. Just keep in mind that this bundle represents only about 5-10% of the full experience (it's not me limiting you to force software adoption - this is simply how the bundle method works).
1. Download the updated bundle file from here: https://download.ngregens.org/ui-newgen-portraits_assets_all.bundle
2. Go to your FM26 install directory. By default, it should be \Steam\steamapps\common\Football Manager 26\fm_Data\StreamingAssets\aa\StandaloneWindows64\
3. Make a backup of the ui-newgen-portraits_assets_all.bundle file in case you want to revert to default faces.
4. Copy the file you downloaded in step 1 into the FM26 folder, replacing the original file.
5. Start FM26, go to the Preferences screen, and select "Detailed" in the top menu. Then select "Audio & Visual" in the left menu and check the "Use pre-generated pictures of players (and staff) rather than dynamically-generated images" option (as shown in the screenshot).
6. Restart the game.
To revert (or migrate to my full-featured experience with the custom software), uncheck the "Use pre-generated pictures of players (and staff) rather than dynamically-generated images" option and copy the original bundle (that you backed up in step 3) back into the FM26 directory.
If you are interested in FM24 version with shortlist export method for both Windows and Mac you can still download and use the old 25 version of the software below.
This is project costs me 100-200e monthly to develop and support, so your donations are greatly appreciated!
Stay tuned!
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BELOW IS THE OLD SHORTLIST EXPORT METHOD FOR FM24 AND BELOW FOR ALL PLATFORMS:
Due to how diverse the pack is, I had to create my own expanded folder system to accomodate all 55 categories, so the pack requires a custom NG_Regens Manager 25 software
Installation guide:
1 - Get the main NG_Regens facepack here
2 - Copy the NG_Regens folder into your FM Graphics folder. It would be the same folder where you have put the original newgan facepack or where you put real facepacks. In my case that would be “Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2024\graphics\faces\”
3. Download the NG_Regens Manager 25: Mac
4. Watch the NG_Regens Manager 25 guide on Youtube
If you need a detailed video guide on shortlist export process you can find it here
Deepdive into new version 1.2 features
I will redo all three current Youtube videos into one, but this is a time consuming process, so bear with me.
If you’ve already got a save going and want to keep your existing regen faces but generate new ones using my latest pack—you’re all good, I’ve got you covered! The program can read both the classic NewGAN format (Zealand’s original one) and the newer FM.Z/URAN format. If anyone’s using a different format, definitely let me know so I can look into it.
Just a heads-up though—this compatibility is one-way:
You can use your old mappings with this tool, but you won’t be able to go back and use classic NewGAN/FM.Z/FMRTE afterwards (or at least, I honestly have no idea what would happen).
So here’s what to do:
Find your current regen pictures folder — this is the folder you've been using as your image folder in NewGAN Manager, FM.Z Manager, or FMRTE.
Copy the contents of the NG_Regens folder from the archive you downloaded in Step 1 of the guide and paste it right into that same image folder.
If you’re using the classic NewGAN format, your folders should now look something like this, with old and new folders side by side at the same level:
There’s just one small caveat: the folder called "Scandinavian" exists in both the old and new packs. But don’t worry—our files have different names, so they won’t overwrite each other.
Here’s what will happen with that specific folder:
Your old face assignments will stay intact—no worries there. The system will treat the "Scandinavian" pics from both packs as part of the same group. That means you might see old faces showing up on new players and if you start a new save and click "Generate", the program will pull from both versions. You’ll basically end up with a Scandinavian mega-pack of around 12,000 pics.
If you’re using the FM.Z/URAN format, your folder structure should look like this:
Just keep them at the same level in the directory and you’re all set!
If you have any questions regarding the installation or anything else, you can leave a comment here, on my youtube channel or you can send me an email to [email protected]
I hope you have fun with the pack and have a very nice day!
F.A.Q.
Q: Why did you create a new folder structure? / How can I unpack your pack into the old NewGAN "Italmed/YugoGreek..." folders?
A:
First off, huge shoutout to the original NewGAN team—they did an amazing job, and their work is still being used by thousands of people today. Even my project builds on the filters and views they created, so big respect to them. Seriously, none of this would be possible without their foundation.
That said, the original NewGAN pack came out about five years ago, and it was built using the tools and structure available at the time. It only has 14 categories for the entire world. A lot of care went into the big football nations, but unfortunately, many other countries kind of got lumped together in ways that don’t really make sense.
Let’s do a little experiment: I could show you a few images from my pack, each from a different category. In the old NewGAN setup, all of those would’ve ended up in the same group—meaning a player from one of those countries could randomly get any of those faces.
Notice the difference? That’s why it’s just not possible to repackage my set back into the old structure without losing all the nuance (or simply creating a mess).
That said, you can totally keep using your existing save where players already have NewGAN faces assigned, and just use my pack for generating new faces. I’ve got a guide on Reddit that walks you through it—look for the section called "Keeping your current regens."
![FM26 Data Tweaks [v1.7 | v3.0]](https://i.postimg.cc/t4fKVrB7/wonderkid.png)
Discussion: NG_Regens Newgen Megapack with Women's Football Pack 2 - FM26, FM24 and below
377 comments have been posted so far.
Now, it installed fine on linux so now I am going to try installing inside steam FM26 prefix.
Do you have your FM26 savegame loaded? What platform are you, Steam, Epic or something else?
It says: Unable to read FM26. FM24 not found.
But FM26 is open and my savegame is loaded.
So basically that would mean:
All central/east asia - KZ, Mongola, China, Korea, Japan would be the same face
The whole Northern-Central Europe from Island to Hungary, from Paris to Vladivostok, Australia, NZ, USA, Canada would be the same face.
Almost every black player would be the same face.
For now it seems even more basic that the original NewGAN. OG NewGAN had 14 categories. FM.Z tool had Ethnicity Code + Nation code pairings.
Lets see if someone finds a way to manupilate it more. I will monitor how things develop, for now I will stick with my own tool. For FM24 there are still no other alternatives possible and FM26 re-uses 90% of the code, so Im not stressed about that.
The BassyBoy method currently only replaces (I presume) pre-generated SI faces with og Newgan. But it doesnt change the core SI logic that tells which newgen gets what face.
Even when I reduced my demands to "I want to see a white face on a white person, a black face on a black person and an asian face on an asian person" it still took me 2 minutes to find even that simple rule broken multiple times.
This is not BassyBoy's fault, he is real gigachad, but we need more control to make this pack work with that method.
Have you noticed that views and filters are nowhere to be found? I have been trying to use the tool to assign the facepack to all regens, using the unemployed manager, but as unemployed there isn't even the possibility to the players list.
The real best-of-both-worlds solution would be to read the information from save files. Those of you who remember CM01/02 days might remember an Options menu with a Save Compression on/off toggle. When turning it off, tools like CM Genie Scout (or something similar) were able to read info from there and find you those sweet Tsygalkos.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to turn off encryption now, probably because SI wants to monetize the Live Editor... not sure if Unity changes anything on that front.
Cheers!
But after it will be released, yes Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\graphics\pictures\player is the correct place. You just unpack NG_Regens folder there, so you would have, for example, Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\graphics\faces\NG_Regens\Afroamerican\ etc
My path is the following:
Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\graphics\pictures\player
So, all my faces are inside the folder player. Where should I place your folder? Inside pictures? or inside player?
The FM26 version of the software will be released as a completely separate version from the current FM24 version. The FM24 version will still work as it does now and will get all relevant picture updates as they come out. It will also eventually get the Staff pack. So no worries, if you want to stick with FM24 for a while, I've got you covered.
Since FM26 doesn't support shortlist exports (and there is no sign on the horizon that it will change), the only way for me to get regen info is via direct memory reading. That's actually better for you, as it's a much simpler process, but unfortunately it will only work on Windows. So there will be no Mac support until I find another solution.
I have already pre-coded about 80% for supporting config generation for Staff, and I have a demo facepack already prepared (both male and female). Don't expect much from the Staff pack, it's more like a demo version to kickstart things. It only has 14 ethnicities with 15k pictures total (both male and female) and was generated from the base model without any retrainings. The good news is it's still Miles better than default SI faces, so it can only go uphill from here!
Regarding FM26, I will wait for the official release of the game to make any conclusions. My initial thoughts are that the current views will be unsupported, and since FM26 will not support any skins, the only way to generate a regen config will be via either direct memory reading or extracting it from savefiles. I hope both are doable. I already got that working for FM24, so I'm kind of hoping I know what to do already.
FM26 is out in a month time (beta is even closer), so I will now wait those couple of weeks to see how it goes and probably will come back with a FM26 version.