FIFA 16 Title Update #5 Available For PC, Soon For Xbox One & PS4 - Details Included

[Gnemi]

Quote: Originally Posted by fearwhatnow

This patch clearly puts the nail in the coffin of casual FIFA football videogaming in the offline modes. The gameplay now in World Class and Legendary difficulties is hardcore. What EA has accomplished with this patch: - Defensive awareness for cpu AI and teammate AI is drastically increased. The difference is huge. AI is closing down fast, reads well through passes and stops easily sideways running. - Cpu AI has more variation in the offensive end, tries more long passes and takes more risks. This means there are more misjudged passes also. - The AI positioning is simply stunning now. It was good but now they protect even more the left/right wing and there is also more help from CBs. - Good luck pressing high for 90 minutes in 15 minutes halves. We now need to use more tactics ingame and take an even more patient approach by playing the waiting game. - Penalties are improved because I had already 2 instances that the ref waved to play on.

As alarmist as you're being here, I agree with all your points. I just think casuals will be even more compelled to play on Pro difficulty.

I just can't quite wrap my head around how EA are going about determining tiers of difficulty this year. Every patch has manifestly affected the CPU's defensive structure, pressure, and tackling. And 1.05 is absolutely the fiercest yet. My biggest concern is that I'll end up scoring one or two types of goals, exclusively, because the CPU simply won't allow for any other goals.

I also agree with both fearwhatnow and nunogomes about pressuring the CPU. It's simply non-existent in FIFA 16. Pressuring the CPU was totally OP in FIFA 15, to the point where you had to resist the temptation to press high.

As a result, for all five patches of FIFA 16, the CPU still passes the ball around in their defensive third IMPECCABLY despite pressure.

I noticed a few "unusual" interceptions yesterday, however, so maybe there's something that can be done in terms of tactics and practice to press the CPU into making a bad pass. I'm not feeling optimistic about that though.

With all of the above noted, I have to confess that I'm really intrigued by 1.05, whereas 1.04 was immediately unappealing until I played it on Normal.

IMO, Normal is no longer viable for the sim/offline crowd. Even on Slow with 1.05, the camera has a hard time keeping up with the speed of the game.

[orion523]

Quote: Originally Posted by fearwhatnow

This patch clearly puts the nail in the coffin of casual FIFA football videogaming in the offline modes. The gameplay now in World Class and Legendary difficulties is hardcore. What EA has accomplished with this patch: - Defensive awareness for cpu AI and teammate AI is drastically increased. The difference is huge. AI is closing down fast, reads well through passes and stops easily sideways running. - Cpu AI has more variation in the offensive end, tries more long passes and takes more risks. This means there are more misjudged passes also. - The AI positioning is simply stunning now. It was good but now they protect even more the left/right wing and there is also more help from CBs. - Good luck pressing high for 90 minutes in 15 minutes halves. We now need to use more tactics ingame and take an even more patient approach by playing the waiting game. - Penalties are improved because I had already 2 instances that the ref waved to play on.

Great info, I especially love the fact that you're punished for excessively pressing just as you would be in real life. Going by that it should also hold true that if you're playing as a lesser team, forced to defend for most of the match, things will get dicey late as your players tire.

[Gnemi]

Quote: Originally Posted by orion523

Great info, I especially love the fact that you're punished for excessively pressing just as you would be in real life. Going by that it should also hold true that if you're playing as a lesser team, forced to defend for most of the match, things will get dicey late as your players tire.

The problem with pressure in FIFA 16 is that you're punished for pressing, period. Pressure goes unrewarded almost entirely, perhaps more noticeably for Tactical Defensing users (like me), but getting the CPU to make mistakes, even when you're playing against crap lower league teams, just doesn't happen in FIFA 16.

Excessive pressure should be punished because in years past, it was ridiculous.

I also think it's unfortunate that the CPU is able to apply excessive pressure for 75+ minutes with relative impunity, something we discussed on last night's stream.

[SpHSpH]

I am bummed that we have a generally sad opinion of FIFA16 at this stage (at least for those of us who play exclusively offline against the CPU). Is this fair to say?

[nunogomes]

Quote: Originally Posted by SpHSpH

I am bummed that we have a generally sad opinion of FIFA16 at this stage (at least for those of us who play exclusively offline against the CPU). Is this fair to say?

I agree... almost 3 months after the game is released, very few of us actually made it through a complete season. Specially people who play with good teams, lower teams seem to give a more "balanced" game...

[winston]

Quote: Originally Posted by fearwhatnow

- Cpu AI has more variation in the offensive end, tries more long passes and takes more risks. This means there are more misjudged passes also.

This sounds like good news. More long balls and misjudged passes by the cpu can only be a step closer to reaslism.

Quote: Originally Posted by fearwhatnow

- Good luck pressing high for 90 minutes in 15 minutes halves. We now need to use more tactics ingame and take an even more patient approach by playing the waiting game.

If the increase in fatigue for constant pressing affects both human and cpu controlled teams equally, then this would be great news. If, as I expect, it affects only the human controlled teams, then, as an offline player, this will be predictably disappointing and mean I may have to resort to editing cpu sliders late in every match to simulate cpu fatigue, which won't exactly add to any sense of realism or immersion.

[Gnemi]

Quote: Originally Posted by nunogomes

I agree... almost 3 months after the game is released, very few of us actually made it through a complete season. Specially people who play with good teams, lower teams seem to give a more "balanced" game...

Untrue! I am in my third season with Everton and it's going pretty well, honestly.

My season with 1.03 sliders was by far the best though, so I'm hoping I can achieve that again.

[nunogomes]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gnemi

Untrue! I am in my third season with Everton and it's going pretty well, honestly. My season with 1.03 sliders was by far the best though, so I'm hoping I can achieve that again.

If we made a pool of who actualy played a full season the results would be terrible. You and a couple of others did it, but most didn´t.