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FIFA 14 News Post


We got our first look at FIFA Soccer 14 earlier this week and had a chance to talk with the producers who gave us tons of information on the latest installment in the FIFA franchise.

It’s interesting—and better yet, encouraging—to see the importance of a steady philosophy on a game franchise. Rarely do you see, in this “era” of FIFAs, features coming in for a year and then getting taken out the next, or a dramatic shift in playing style between iterations—basically, no abrupt “change in direction” year to year. The FIFA team seems to have decided a long time ago (and stuck to it ever since) to basically make the game as close as possible to the sport you see on TV, and to a certain extent, the sport you play on the pitch. And it’s great news for us hardcore fans.

Read More - First Look at FIFA Soccer 14

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Member Comments
# 1 HKPound @ 04/17/13 02:21 PM
Quicker dribble turns? Are you kidding me? Aren't they already quick enough?
 
# 2 willyfantastic @ 04/17/13 02:45 PM
what i'd like to see is them investing more time into career mode to get it to the hallmark PES had/have with Master League.

the problem I have with FIFA/EA is I think to try to focus too much on the gameplay FOR online modes, so they can get people spending money on ultimate team. career mode just isnt deep enough to keep me playing any longer than a season as there are too many things that break/spoil the realism, and theres not enough there in terms of presentation, dynamic events etc

I still love playing multiplayer with friends and occassionally online, but i go back to Football Manager/NBA 2k13/MLB the Show/NHL for my deep 'career' fix, and as a result spend a lot more time with them. FIFA just doesn't cut it in comparison
 
# 3 willyfantastic @ 04/17/13 02:47 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by willyfantastic
what i'd like to see is them investing more time into career mode to get it to the hallmark PES had/have with Master League.

the problem I have with FIFA/EA is I think to try to focus too much on the gameplay FOR online modes, so they can get people spending money on ultimate team. career mode just isnt deep enough to keep me playing any longer than a season as there are too many things that break/spoil the realism, and theres not enough there in terms of presentation, dynamic events etc

I still love playing multiplayer with friends and occassionally online, but i go back to Football Manager/NBA 2k13/MLB the Show/NHL for my deep 'career' fix, and as a result spend a lot more time with them. FIFA just doesn't cut it in comparison
i think i should add that i think that in terms of gameplay, I think FIFA's is the best out of all of the others I've mentioned, it just lacks a decent real single player element to it
 
# 4 Yeats @ 04/17/13 02:54 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by HKPound
Quicker dribble turns? Are you kidding me? Aren't they already quick enough?
The uber-ninja dribbling in FIFA 13 was EA's version of simulation gaming. They're adding even quicker hyper-drive dribbling for gamers who prefer an arcade soccer experience.

EA Sports... If it's in the game, we'll make it twice or even three times as fast.
 
# 5 dubcity @ 04/17/13 03:29 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by HKPound
Quicker dribble turns? Are you kidding me? Aren't they already quick enough?
Yeah, they spend the first part of the article talking about patient buildup, and then they go on about "Sprint Dribble Turn" and "Variable Dribble Touches." Who's going to be patient when you can just run by people even easier than previous years?
 
# 6 P21J @ 04/17/13 04:55 PM
Glad to hear about the attempted fix to people online passing around in the back of the pitch to waste time. Hopefully it works, as it might have been the most annoying thing in this years FIFA (minus the defensive teammate AI in the penalty box/corner situations)
 
# 7 Dynastium @ 04/17/13 05:19 PM
Hopefully career mode doesn't freeze after the 3rd season.
 
# 8 eyeamg0dly @ 04/18/13 02:12 PM
they said they are lowering the radius on the turns though, they will just be quicker. this still means that tactical defending still works, its just makes timing tackles harder.
 
# 9 Qb @ 04/18/13 04:05 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by dubcity
Yeah, they spend the first part of the article talking about patient buildup, and then they go on about "Sprint Dribble Turn" and "Variable Dribble Touches." Who's going to be patient when you can just run by people even easier than previous years?
As Kelvin stressed, those features sounded good in theory when explained by the team, but how they are implemented and balanced will decide if the results are "run[ning] by people even easier than previous years..." I interpreted the variable dribble touches as something that could impact dribbling ability positively or negatively, depending on ratings. Hence the comparison to the first touch changes of FIFA13. Sprint dribble turn seemed less clear, but he did mention more momentum for abrupt changes of direction.

But in the end, it's rather pointless to make sweeping assumptions either way. It's all words at this point and the proof is in the pudding.
 
# 10 kelvinmak @ 04/19/13 07:16 PM
Hey all,

Sorry, been on the road for the last few days so I didn't have a chance to reply since I've submitted the article.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Profit89
Any word on player uniqueness/individuality (in movement, shooting etc), like PES's Player ID feature?
Nothing yet, as far as I can hear. Like I said, that's why it's so hard to pan a first-look, because there's always later. However, I have a sneaky feeling that there probably won't much on that front, if any, because if there was it'd be such a huge marketable aspect, that it would've been included in this reveal.

As far as the running/dribbling aspect, I took it much like Qb did-- that there's greater differentiation between players, and not necessarily easier/harder. What I interpreted from the "Sprint Dribble Turn" part (jeez, I'm already loathing the name) is that the smaller turn radius is balanced out by the fact that you can't just skate around with reckless disregard to physics, especially at speed, now that there's momentum involved.

I could be wrong with all that (and believe me, I've been ), but for now I don't want to draw a conclusion one way or another just yet, at least until there's some gameplay stuff out there.
 
# 11 DetailsMakeTheGame @ 04/20/13 07:48 PM
http://www.operationsports.com/DetailsMakeTheGame/blog/21147-fifa-14-its-time-for-a-change/


I hope PES 14 really pushes Fifa this year.. they are starting to get repetitive like Madden and NBA live..
 
# 12 hedache @ 04/22/13 05:36 PM
I would spend more money on their game (by playing ultimate team) if they bother to separate that section by control schemas, where there would be ultimate team for manual only, semi-assisted only (this I don't need personally ) and any control or something. So that I know that I'm building my team to play other manual players only. Ultimate team is a great concept, but I haven't touched it at all due to the manual only needs of myself.
 
# 13 Purple28Pedestrian @ 04/23/13 02:59 PM
I just hope [for all manual players] that they incorporate the slightest hint of error for assisted control players. It's fun to play against anyone regardless of their control setup, but having players on assisted who just tap tap tap A and the ball somehow magically travels from foot to foot with no error is so infuriating.

and then they act like they just scored the most beautiful goal.
 
# 14 hedache @ 04/23/13 05:11 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Purple28Pedestrian
I just hope [for all manual players] that they incorporate the slightest hint of error for assisted control players. It's fun to play against anyone regardless of their control setup, but having players on assisted who just tap tap tap A and the ball somehow magically travels from foot to foot with no error is so infuriating.

and then they act like they just scored the most beautiful goal.
That's why I'd rather play dedicated manual players. I do have fun games in seasons against whatever control schema they're using (most don't seem to use fully assisted as far as I can tell). I feel like due to the nature of FUT, more people are tempted to use full assist especially in some sense to secure a win. That's one of the major reasons I'd prefer that section of the game separated in a more defined way (like 2 different worlds so that you can find competition based on dedication from start).
 
# 15 Yeats @ 04/25/13 11:16 AM
As for the new Variable Dribble Touches, it’s basically an extension of the First Touch Control that was introduced in FIFA 13, only now it also applies to when a player is dribbling on the run.

Speaking of which, the team has also made Tactical Defending just a touch easier by lessening the risk in tackling.

Year after year EA gets away with this nonsense. They spend a week tweaking player ratings and then market it as some amazing new feature. Want to see greater variance in players' ability to maintain ball control? Want to make it easier (as in realistic) to tackle CPU players? Raise/lower players' ball control, strength and balance ratings. THAT'S IT, that's all it takes. I've spent hundreds of hours editing and modding FIFA the past couple of years and believe me, that's all half these new features are about: tweaking player ratings and slider effectiveness.

I see what EA is up to here. They're going to spend as little time/money as possible and release a final current-gen version of FIFA, and rake in millions in sales as usual. Then around the January tranfer period, they'll no doubt release their first next-gen version of FIFA and rake in even more millions. And they'll market their next-gen game by sharing with us how limited and obsolete their current game engine is, and how it had become impossible to improve the game any further except by... wait for it... making minor tweaks to the gameplay.
 
# 16 Semipro91 @ 04/25/13 01:48 PM
The Main thing I hope is fixed are the AI players when playing online via Pro Clubs. Too many times have I watched thunder touches and terrible passes made by the AI. Sure its not as bad if a user plays as an ANY but thats not what this game mode is about. It would be nice if me and a couple teammates can play locked into a position and not have to worry about the AI losing the game for us. The AI defensive work that you mentioned, hoepfully that translate to Online as well?
 
# 17 Semipro91 @ 04/25/13 01:49 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yeats
As for the new Variable Dribble Touches, it’s basically an extension of the First Touch Control that was introduced in FIFA 13, only now it also applies to when a player is dribbling on the run.

Speaking of which, the team has also made Tactical Defending just a touch easier by lessening the risk in tackling.

Year after year EA gets away with this nonsense. They spend a week tweaking player ratings and then market it as some amazing new feature. Want to see greater variance in players' ability to maintain ball control? Want to make it easier (as in realistic) to tackle CPU players? Raise/lower players' ball control, strength and balance ratings. THAT'S IT, that's all it takes. I've spent hundreds of hours editing and modding FIFA the past couple of years and believe me, that's all half these new features are about: tweaking player ratings and slider effectiveness.

I see what EA is up to here. They're going to spend as little time/money as possible and release a final current-gen version of FIFA, and rake in millions in sales as usual. Then around the January tranfer period, they'll no doubt release their first next-gen version of FIFA and rake in even more millions. And they'll market their next-gen game by sharing with us how limited and obsolete their current game engine is, and how it had become impossible to improve the game any further except by... wait for it... making minor tweaks to the gameplay.
WOW. SPOT ON!
 
# 18 woody2goody @ 04/25/13 04:00 PM
There are a lot of cynical comments here, and I can understand some of them, however I really feel that the changes outlined in the article are the ones that FIFA has really needed to improve on over the years.

AI defending has always been placid, which has allowed players to (unless they make a mistake) pass the ball forward to the strikers and wingers with little problem. The defensive changes mentioned are what the game has been crying out for.

So has improved midfield play. It's sometimes too difficult to pass through the middle, and they can balance the middle out in two ways here: Better defensive AI will hopefully mean the end of days where there are none of your midfielders anywhere near the ball, and allow you to put pressure on it earlier, creating more 50-50 balls and tackling opportunities. Likewise 'Protecting the ball' will allow you more options in the middle of the park, so in a nutshell you will have less time to do more with the ball!

The dribbling changes sound good as I actually think the faster players are still fairly sluggish dribbling-wise, and if they can improve the defenders at the same time then we should get a balanced experience.

My main gripe (even though there are sliders to tweak the gameplay) is the CPU attacking AI. AI teams need to be less perfect and less aggressive. In FIFA 13, the AI will (90% of the time) find the player that's unmarked with a ground pass. Even though you can adjust pass error, the probl;em is not the completing of the passes, but the 'vision' aspect.

A couple of years ago the devs were saying how Cesc Fabregas could find better passes than mediocre passers of the ball with lower vision. So EA needs to really concentrate on making these ratings really matter when the CPU is playing. The AI rarely plays the ball long to the strikers for instance, and rarely is susceptible to slide tackles even on lower difficulty levels.

The long and short of it is, I'd like the attacking AI to try things more like the human players do, but be less perfect in making decisions.

For instance, I was playing as Arsenal against Wimbledon the other day, and for a league 2 team they had Zidane-like passing and vision for the most part. In real life, lesser players are still capable of brilliance, just less frequently.

Before I finish my essay, I have to say the new menus look great, a big improvement. I hope they add Pro Evo's drag and drop formations (so much easier and less time consuming than FIFA's current system) screen and proper letters/numbers on shirts for all leagues.
 
# 19 Yeats @ 04/26/13 11:22 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by woody2goody
There are a lot of cynical comments here, and I can understand some of them, however I really feel that the changes outlined in the article are the ones that FIFA has really needed to improve on over the years.
You made some valid observations, but I completely disagree with you here. Once again, all EA is really doing re-tweaking a few ratings and lines of code, to make it easier for online gamers to dribble and score goals as Messi or Ronaldo. They are not fixing what actually needs fixing.

The core User-CPU gameplay has been broken for a decade. I love FIFA 13, but default FIFA gameplay in no way, shape or form resembles real football. Here are a couple of screens of a real football match. Notice the number of attacking players in the box versus the number of defenders who have come back to help. In particular, note players' proximity to each other and how they're fighting for position.



Now take a look at default FIFA. Notice how the attacking/User team has 2-3 players on the attack, that’s it. Meanwhile the rest of the team stands about, stretched all the way back to the midfield line and into their own end of the pitch. Same thing with the defending-CPU team: a max of 3-4 players come back to the box to defend while the rest of the team are spread about the pitch, twiddling their jockstraps and completely out of the play. The default gameplay is intentionally designed this way, not to simulate real football, but to make it easy to score goals, period.



Finally, here’s an example of how a simulation-intended FIFA looks and plays after some heavy editing. You can see the User team now has several players on the attack, while their back line of defenders has moved up and are ready to help out. Meanwhile, the CPU team has flooded their box with players who have come back to help defend, making it extremely difficult for the User team to find an open space let alone get a shot on goal. This is the sort of complete gameplay overhaul EA could have and should have been working towards the past 10 years. Tweaking dribbling and tackling skills yet again is about the last thing this game needs.

 
# 20 woody2goody @ 04/26/13 12:21 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yeats
You made some valid observations, but I completely disagree with you here. Once again, all EA is really doing re-tweaking a few ratings and lines of code, to make it easier for online gamers to dribble and score goals as Messi or Ronaldo. They are not fixing what actually needs fixing.

The core User-CPU gameplay has been broken for a decade. I love FIFA 13, but default FIFA gameplay in no way, shape or form resembles real football. Here are a couple of screens of a real football match. Notice the number of attacking players in the box versus the number of defenders who have come back to help. In particular, note players' proximity to each other, and how they're bunched together and fighting for position.



Now take a look at default FIFA. Notice how the attacking/User team has 2-3 players on the attack, that’s it. Meanwhile the rest of the team stands about, stretched all the way back to the midfield line and into their own end of the pitch. Same thing with the defending-CPU team: a max of 3-4 players come back to the box to defend while the rest of the team are spread about the pitch, twiddling their jockstraps and completely out of the play. The default gameplay is intentionally designed this way, not to simulate real football, but to make it easy to score goals, period.



Finally, here’s an example of how a simulation-intended FIFA looks and plays after some heavy editing. You can see the User team now has several players on the attack, while their back line of defenders has moved up and are ready to help out. Meanwhile, the CPU team has flooded their end and box with players who have come back to help defend, making it extremely difficult for the User team to find an open space let alone get a shot on goal. This is the sort of complete gameplay overhaul EA could have and should have been working towards the past 10 years. Tweaking dribbling and tackling skills yet again is about the last thing this game needs.

Some good illustrations there.

I do think however that the defensive AI modifications are being done to help this very thing though.

I've played Pro Evo pretty much exclusively until this year, and I've always felt that they have nailed player positioning.

EA look to be addressing those problems and that's what my post was getting at. I'm not denying there are some fairly big flaws with the gameplay, but I have to applaud the effort to rectify them.

With the changes to dribbling and shooting, these are necessary ones. Dribbling on FIFA, while nicely animated and fairly realistic, has always felt cumbersome for instance.

The addition of sprint turns is something you see regularly in real matches. And couples with the defensive AI changes (if done properly) the game shouldn't be unbalanced, but the user should have more weapons at their disposal when attacking, and they will be going against defenders who are smarter and better positioned in order to stop them.

Online is a big part of FIFA, but I don't think online play is driving their gameplay direction when creating a football simulation.

As a player who plays 80% offline, I'd much rather they improved this aspect, and the changes they have outlined are the first in a long time that make 100% sense.
 

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