FIFA 13 Season Ticket Early Release Impressions

[JR Ewingston]

Quote: Originally Posted by Qb

For reference, thus far I played approximately: 10 Pro Clubs drop-in games 3 Online friendlies 1v1 on slow/manual 5 Offline w/ custom sliders (various half lengths) Like many, I'm not a fan of the speed of the game, even on slow. What makes it frustrating for me is it's not so much the sheer pace of the players (ie, speed slider), but the lack of inertia/momentum in player movement. Lowering the acceleration slider helps somewhat, but at default settings the dreaded FIFA 'twitchy' uber-responsiveness is there. However, in my relatively limited offline play, something along the lines of 49spd/47acc on slow game speed seems to be a workable compromise (might be going a little lower in time). I think Kelvin had it right that dramatically lowering spd/acc creates more space, exacerbating the inherent weaknesses of Tactical Defending because defenders cannot move quickly enough to close down. Also, having too large a differential between speed & acceleration makes it too easy to sprint/knock-on past defenders. Toning down the speed helps the overall pace/flow of the game somewhat, but tightening the lines makes a bigger difference. At default, there's a huge gap between the backline and midfield, even in the final third. Dramatically lowering line length -- I have it at 20 right now -- really helps control the game. I think part of the reason the CPU pushes the ball forward so aggressively is because it has available forward passes, as usually only the backline (and maybe a DM) are behind the ball. If you drop line length it pulls the MFs back, although it does tend to make teams defend deeper overall. This is why I'm not sold on lowering line height much, if at all. If you drop both settings, you won't see much defensive resistance until the ball gets in/around the box. For the record, I also lowered line width to 30 and (at least for now) have marking at 100. I played several short and one longer match (10') with all of these set, and they were enjoyable. The longer one was Arsenal/Norwich from the live fixtures list, resulting in 1-nil to the Arsenal. I had to move the ball around to break them down, although I could also catch them on the counter with my pace in the right situations. More encouragingly, Norwich moved the ball around fairly well. I had more men back, so they played laterally more often. The shorter lines made for tough going around the box. There are still shortcomings in the defending, but at least for now, I'm creeping towards something I can enjoy. I know I spent most of this post talking about sliders, but I feel it's necessary to enjoy the offline game. Much like FIFA12, this game isn't all that pleasing to me out-of-the-box when playing the CPU. Online 1v1 on slow/manual was pretty good, aside from the aforementioned issues with speed. It doesn't feel as stagnant as 12 did; I wasn't yelling at my TV in hopes my teammates would hear me and do something. Altimus and I played three tight matches that had patches of sloppy/combative and more wide open play, depending on our approach and execution. It's too bad there isn't more of a focus on manual controls, as the game simply plays so much better without the assist. This is particularly evident in Pro Clubs. This falls more on the FIFA user base, but this mode can be fantastic in fleeting moments, yet generally frustrating overall. VP ratings are more reasonable to start and the differences between roles and sizes less pronounced. First touch plays a big part in conjunction with ratings, making for a somewhat slower pace than regular play with good teams. However, this is all undermined by the playing style of the majority; it's predominately get the ball forward as quickly as possible > assisted through ball to striker drifting wide > hopeful cross or failed 1v1 move. Playing as a CDM/CM, I naturally focus on the middle of the pitch... IT'S WIDE OPEN. If people would stop sprinting down the flank to make a simple short pass to the middle, it would open up all kinds of attacking options. On the rare occasion I had some team-oriented players on my side, it was quite a bit of fun. It's just so frustrating to see so many play the game in such a uninteresting manner, but EA makes it all too easy with such heavily-assisted controls. Overall, I'm much more enthused with 13 after playing the full game. The demo never does much for me due to the short matches. I'd love to see a more deliberate, considered, and tactical approach by default. I'd love to see the CPU manage a game better and more creatively (eg, 4-3-3 to 4-5-1 when leading). But at least I'm now fairly confident I can tweak the game to the point I can enjoy a lengthy career mode, which I haven't touched yet. Hopefully the early positives regarding growth hold true. And one last thing, unless I missed it, no one mentioned being able to edit players in career mode. We have to buy the option from the catalogue for 2000 credits, but at least it's there. I blew most of my credits from my FIFA12 level before I realized how the system works. But, it will be nice to play dress up with my dolls customize my characters.

Realy good quote.
Informative and concrete.
Thank you.

[RoyceDa59]

Used some of your slider suggestions QB, along with some of my own and I have been finding some good matches but I found it a little too easy and had to bump it up from WC to Legendary. The game still has a lot of things I don't like but like you said it is playable but only for some of the lower ranked teams. I did some matches with Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund but playing teams like in the Eredivise it is slighly better. I still don't like how all players are super agile and dribble way too much.

[alabamarob]

Quote: Originally Posted by Broncos86

I turned up passing errors for both sides, and this seems to have two effects on the game: 1) Obviously, the ball is a bit looser now. Both sides, aren't quite so precise with the passing. 2) Because of that, I'm seeing more midfield battles and more fouls. Since players can't just pass around quickly, and more passes are getting intercepted, I'm seeing more scrums for the ball. Because of it, more fouls. Just my anecdotal evidence.

You are correct sir. Turning the passing error slider up is a must, and the game plays completely different with the pass error slider turned up. The game plays much more realistic now. I wish I had done this earlier, before I started to write the game off.

I am still experiencing a slight delay (aka button lag) when I press the pass or shoot button. Is anyone else experiencing this?

[Broncos86]

Quote: Originally Posted by alabamarob

You are correct sir. Turning the passing error slider up is a must, and the game plays completely different with the pass error slider turned up. The game plays much more realistic now. I wish I had done this earlier, before I started to write the game off. I am still experiencing a slight delay (aka button lag) when I press the pass or shoot button. Is anyone else experiencing this?

I get a smidge, but I chalk it up to my player positioning himself to actually make a pass.

[Gnemi]

Anybody know when the Early Release will expire? It comes out tomorrow and I read on their site the following:

EARLY RELEASE ACCESS EXPIRES THE DAY THE PARTICIPATING GAME LAUNCHES IN RETAIL STORES.

I'm looking to play a lot tonight, so I hope that's true!

[philliesphan026]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gnemi

Anybody know when the Early Release will expire? It comes out tomorrow and I read on their site the following: EARLY RELEASE ACCESS EXPIRES THE DAY THE PARTICIPATING GAME LAUNCHES IN RETAIL STORES. I'm looking to play a lot tonight, so I hope that's true!

Yeah, pretty sure it shuts off at around 6am EDT, if I'm not mistaken

[Maxflier]

Probably at midnight.

[ChubbyBanana]

Quote: Originally Posted by Maxflier

Probably at midnight.

If other early releases are any hint it usually 6am release day.