FIFA... A love hate relationship

[thesicnessnz]

Fifa my love, I've put down my controller, taken a deep breathe, calmed myself and realised how much I've truly started to... dislike you.

Now that that's over, time to get the frustrations of my chest.

Overall Fifa 16 is actually quite good, but there are a few fundamental things i would like to express, that this game does that seriously pisses me off.

To start off, Changing player. I don't know why this is an issue, and it damn shouldn't be, but at times i find myself having to change through 3-4 players to get the guy closest to the ball. And what's up with the a.i assistance on defense? Now this one is the major flaw for me and it relates to my first issue. For example... During any sort of loose ball situation. I find myself a step behind the CPU A.I every time. Now this isn't because of reaction time. It's because the player who i want to change to(currently ai controlled) watches the ball roll pass his feet which 9/10 allows the opponent to gather the ball. And as i cannot change to that player immediately, by the time I've scrolled though even 1 player, it's too damn late.

Now this leads me to thinking this is why the possession stats of FIFA 16 are so one sided. I mean i spend 65% of the game (and more sometimes) chasing the fricken ball?? That is not my idea of fun!

I mean come on, i played Bournemouth as Arsenal last night and they had 68% possession at the Emirates, and drew 1-1?? I than played Barca and demolished them 4-1 having only 42% possession...seriously??? WTF is going on here? Shouldn't it be the other way around. There's absolutely no consistency in these games. MSN were nowhere to be seen. Isn't that the point of having them in the game? Why EA have licences. So we get to face these legends of football and appreciate them only to have Bournemouth playing like a group of absolute LEGENDS, and barca a league1 team??

It blows my mind, year after year, can they not implement the teams current form of their current season into their performances? i.e Bayern would be impossible as they never lose.

I guess im just sick and tired of having to whinge every year.

But like true love I'll put up with with the crap just to get that little fix I need and desire as a fan of football.

Damn you footy

DDDAAAAAAMMMNNNN YYYOOOOOOOOUUUUUU!!!!

[calbrs04]

Re: FIFA... A love hate relationship

Man Utd are one of the top possession teams in the BPL right now and Leicester City are towards the bottom. So yes, those stats can be very realistic. But I do agree that the once the cpu team gets ahold of the ball they seems to always make the perfect passes.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: FIFA... A love hate relationship

My biggest love hate is the disparity between gameplay in play now and CM. The adaptive difficulty mechanic is absurd, and so poorly implemented. I understand the cpu having an advantage but they way in which it's represented with invincibility doesn't feel credible.

Additionally, how to overcome it is obtuse. Do press conferences help? Do I replace my whole starting XI? There is no explanation and never has been.

[xicpanad]

Re: FIFA... A love hate relationship

One thing I realised that helps is if I use a fresh 70+ player, ususally he performs better than a slightly tired 80+ player. But yes, this is a love hate realtionship. I guess we can only live with it.

[half-fast]

Re: FIFA... A love hate relationship

Quite simply, I believe they screw up player changing on purpose, because they cant implement a good enough and realistic enough AI, so they best way to score on you is to not give you the best player to make the play ... it's a trick. It absolutely frustrates me, but I've started swapping players on Def quite a bit less now.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: FIFA... A love hate relationship

Quite simply, I believe they screw up player changing on purpose, because they cant implement a good enough and realistic enough AI, so they best way to score on you is to not give you the best player to make the play ... it's a trick. It absolutely frustrates me, but I've started swapping players on Def quite a bit less now.

I have my suspicions at times too. Like you can see when it's happening. Your backline starts getting discombobulated, and you can't switch on to them to untangle it (not even manually with rs).

[half-fast]

Re: FIFA... A love hate relationship

I have my suspicions at times too. Like you can see when it's happening. Your backline starts getting discombobulated, and you can't switch on to them to untangle it (not even manually with rs).

Exactly. Even with RS it isn't possible. It's clever, disguising a cheating function as a flaw. As a programmer that's what I would do. I don't make full fledged games, I'm not that type of programmer, but in college we had to make a game, obviously it needed some basic aj, and its amazing how hard it is to get a bot to do something so simple, its no wonder they did that. I can recall having to be sneaky as well to get my bot to be able to give a human any sort of a challenge.

[Matt10]

Re: FIFA... A love hate relationship

I think it's more to do with that L1 is the same as off the ball run control. If you try to switch on a 50/50 ball, sometimes the player will run away from the ball because we are trying to switch to the nearest player.

I do not use Auto-Switch, does anyone here use it? Can they speak to their player switching issues?

FWIW, when I can sense the player switch issue show up, I honestly stop pressing any button on the controller for a second, let the animation play out then find a midfielder to control vs a defender. I pick a midfielder because chances are the CPU will get through my defender as a result of the confusion.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: FIFA... A love hate relationship

I think it's more to do with that L1 is the same as off the ball run control. If you try to switch on a 50/50 ball, sometimes the player will run away from the ball because we are trying to switch to the nearest player.

I do not use Auto-Switch, does anyone here use it? Can they speak to their player switching issues?

FWIW, when I can sense the player switch issue show up, I honestly stop pressing any button on the controller for a second, let the animation play out then find a midfielder to control vs a defender. I pick a midfielder because chances are the CPU will get through my defender as a result of the confusion.

I feel like I've tried the "just let the cpu try to figure it out" with the backline scenario we're discussing, and try to backtrack with a midfielder. Only problem is my midfielders seem to want to man up with someone behind the play or are nowhere near the play to back pressure. The difference is the cpu, regardless of team or tactics tracks back like crazy.

I love the community sliders btw. Certainly makes the game better in my mind. In fact, I would say I have very few issues with the game AI on default in play now. My problems mostly pertain to the way the adaptive AI in MM behaves.

The way in which I have to play in order to negate its enhanced abilities at times is reduced to dribbling backwards with the ball constantly, and dominating possession while creating few chances. Simply put, in MM during stretches of matches (for whatever reason), direct play, and counter-attacking are sure ways to give up goals against wingers impossible to knock of the ball or contain, mysteriously won headers, and any number of other odd scoring plays. It just feels so unnatural.

I've been playing FIFA for years and years, and at times MM makes me feel like I've never played the game before. Then I go back to play now and remember why I enjoy the game.

[SpHSpH]

Re: FIFA... A love hate relationship

Quite simply, I believe they screw up player changing on purpose, because they cant implement a good enough and realistic enough AI, so they best way to score on you is to not give you the best player to make the play ... it's a trick. It absolutely frustrates me, but I've started swapping players on Def quite a bit less now.

Yeah ... the "change player" too often gives me "not the guy I was thinking of" ... and then, because I was already on the L-Stick, I pull someone out of position before I realize I have the wrong guy ... and then it repeats ... uuggrrghr!

[dubcity]

Re: FIFA... A love hate relationship

If you really have an issue with the CPU dominating possession in every game I would suggest switching to the high pressure tactic. It'll leave you more open at the back, but the CPU won't be able to endlessly (and pointlessly) back-pass in their own 1/3. Works best when you're playing as a top team against a lesser squad.

I'm over the game this year. Maybe 17 will be more enjoyable.