Fifa 11 News thread (No discussion)

[Lami]

9.6.2010

Fifa 11 announced!

Redefining player authenticity...

All-New Personality+ Enables Players to Behave and Perform as True Individuals

Electronic Arts today revealed that its top-selling franchise from EA SPORTS will redefine player authenticity when FIFA 11 launches this Fall on the PlayStation(r)3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360(r) videogame and entertainment system. FIFA 11 reinvents player authenticity - on and off the ball - for every player and at every position on the pitch with Personality+, an all-new feature that sees individual abilities reflected in game, enabling clear differentiation for every player.

"Personality+ is the evolution of individual distinctiveness that sees a footballer's abilities on the pitch mirrored authentically in our game, creating individual personalities in FIFA 11," said Executive Producer Kaz Makita. "We have reached a level of sophistication within our game engine where footballers in our game will behave and perform as true individuals."

Personality+ distinguishes individual footballers from one another by utilizing a database that evaluates and grades each player's skill-set over 36 attributes and 57 traits. The EA SPORTS FIFA franchise utilizes a network of 1700 scouts, editors and reviewers positioned around the world to evaluate each player, creating one of the world's most comprehensive databases to drive its market-leading football engine. Personality+ plus will be integrated everywhere in-game. Elite players are now empowered to showcase their world class skills. Real Madrid's Kaka will deliver crisp, creative passes, Barcelona's Andres Iniesta will utilize tighter turns and close control to dribble through defenses, Manchester United's Wayne Rooney will hold off defenders and strike shots from distance with pace, and top-flight defenders like Giorgio Chiellini of Juventus will anticipate, predict and react to offensive players to win back possession. New body types and player models will further distinguish each player on the pitch. In addition, goalkeepers have also been injected with Personality+. The real-life personality of the keeper, whether acrobatic or traditional, will dictate his style in game. Dive attributes will determine the keepers with the ability to reach for further shots while reflex attributes determine reaction times, so a keeper like Petr Cech of Chelsea FC will be able to showcase world-class skills.

FIFA 11 introduces new Pro Passing where pass accuracy is determined by a gamer's ability on the control pad, and player skill, situation and urgency on the pitch, yielding a deeply rewarding passing system. Poor decisions or over/under striking the ball will mean error-prone outcomes. New types of passes such as swerve passes will enable players to make a safer and more effective play.

Building on FIFA 10 gameplay that won 50 sports game of the year awards, FIFA 11 continues to listen to its growing legion of FIFA fans around the world to refine gameplay in ways that matter most to fans. Visit http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa to join the FIFA group to express feedback directly to game developers and receive exclusive content. New game modes and innovations will be revealed in the coming months along with features on other platforms.

FIFA 11 will be available in stores world-wide this Fall for the PlayStation3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system and mobile. It is developed under the EA SPORTS brand by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. The game has not yet been rated.

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[Lami]

Re: Fifa 11 News thread (No discussion) - WIP

9.6.2010

Eurogamer's FIFA 11 Preview

 

[Lami]

Re: Fifa 11 News thread (No discussion) - WIP

19.6.2010

Evo-web

Romagnoli's hand's on - Part I

I'm doing a write up, but it's a bloody mission! The actual FIFA Dev Team feedback form is potentially even worse.

Anyway, my thoughts so far based on the Q's you all gave me.




--------------------------------
PRO PASSING

Q: How much error is there in attribute based passing? What about Weaker foot error?
A: It's pretty good. I spent a lot of the time using assisted passing to eliminate my own error and isolate any passing inaccuracy as just attribute based, and the error was clearly there. The power bar plays a significant part too, with harder passes being more heavily impacted by error.

Barcelona also have passing error. I think this is a pretty important thing to mention. EA could easily have phoned it in and have left Barca as a FIFA 10 side, but seeing Barca still have to recycle possession is a really big deal IMO. You're encouraged to actually use the ability of the players to wriggle out of tight spaces that loose passes force you into.

Something important to say about ping pong passing. It's not completely gone. However you can't go from one box to another in 5 seconds and 3 passes. The worst thing about ping pong passing compared to, say cutbacks in PES's of old, is that you could defend cutbacks. You could tell that this was the opponent's game plan, and account for that in your own setup, without using a non footballing formation. With ping pong passing, there was nothing you could do. The other guy would have buffered up his button taps before you'd switched to a relevant player. Combined with the dodgy defences there was piss all you could do about him passing to his striker on the penalty spot unchallenged.

With this current passing system, the ball moves a lot slower and less directionally perfectly. The ping pong you get now is generally (but not always) more akin to the pingpong that people would argue exists in real life. It is effective over short distances, but if you try and ping pong from one end of the pitch to another, as was the killer in FIFA 10, then you will more often than not lose the ball. The effective passing distance is a lot shorter now, so the game shifts from being about covering 80 yards in 5 seconds to about half that distance.

Time will tell if this is how it turns out against the cheesers you play online - they will always find new reasons for us to hate them - but the intention with the passing renovations is to try and make sure that the optimal way for gamers to play the game and the optimal way for us to enjoy the game converge, rather than remain two completely alien concepts. For me, the system looks like it will certainly do that. If it doesn't, then at least I won't spend every game against like minded people worrying about whether it is ethical to make a particular pass, or if that is something a cheeser would do.



Q: Is the error for first time passes only?
A: No. It is accentuated for first time passes


Q: Pro Passing for long balls/crosses too?
A: No but these are less accurate to begin with and/or less precisely judged by the players on the ground, and are already impacted by weighting anyway.

Bouncing lob is utterly awesome! You can hit those Scholes/Rooney-esque 60 yard head height scud passes diagonally out wide, but you can also use it to hit what is essentially a much harder ground pass into space. This is an excellent addition to your passing arsenal. It's entirely possible to smack the ball from one fullback to the other more quickly than with standard long passing but at the same time you have to watch you don't hit it out of play.

You'll be able to spread the play very cleverly with this.


Q: Do Accrington differ from Arsenal?
A: Yes. I kind of think the Accrington passing weakness is represented a bit too much in passing speed and bobble rather than directional inaccuracy, and will say as much to EA. The biggest weakness Accrington had by comparison was their ball control. They were terrible at turning with the ball, so trying to outmanouevre Inter Milan was like trying to paint the Mona Lisa with the paintbrush between your arse cheeks.

An interesting point about ball control. I know a lot of you saw that Sol Campbell vid and thought it looked like he was pretty damn good. Maybe for PES 2010, but certainly not for FIFA 11. The difference between Campbell and Messi/Xavi/Modric is huge. Tommy Hud was pretty cumbersome, and if challenged the most I felt I could do is shot fake away from the challenge, use his rump to absorb any pressuring, and lay it off to my defence. Modric however was a cheeky bugger. As I'm sure I've said a few times now, the goal I nearly scored was disgusting.

Another big thing about ball control is that players don't turn in exactly the direction you press unless they're good enough. I remember taking a throw in as Accrington and chucking the ball to a midfielder. I was pressing down (the throw-in was at the far end of the pitch), but he took a fairly big touch sideways and then turned to face downwards with his next touch. I think someone asked about this and I forgot to write it down on my list of Q's, but as soon as I saw this I remembered that it was something you wanted to know.

I also scored with Accrington! I hoofed the ball into the box, there was a 2v1 jump, one of my attackers then stooped to head the ball (completely missing in the process) but I then lumped it in from the other wing and stabbed the ball in. Certainly with Accrington, there was a real sense of rubbishness, and that was quite visible in how scrappy my goal was.


-------------------------------
MANUAL PASSING Q'S

Q: How does swerve work?
A: It doesn't. I'm bringing this up with EA as I can't see why you couldn't press R1+X to hit a sidefooted swerve pass with an amount of curl that is dependent on the player involved.


Q: Is player switching on manual passes better?
A: I only had one manual game, in which I did keep equal with a couple of assisted guys playing on the same side. I've asked T-Mills what he thinks.


Q: Anything else?
A: I really do think you'll be able to get on a par with your typical assisted player if you know what you're doing. The introduction of the power bar is a really big deal, and one that I can't overstress as being a much bigger leveller of the playing field than people who haven't played the game will realise. The weight of a pass is a really important factor, and generally speaking a tap of the pass button for a manual player will move about as fast as it will for an assisted player. I seemed to find in my one game of full manual that in general, once you got past the first quarter of the power bar, the manual passes were actually hit slightly faster than the assisted equivalents. Dunno if this was just me, or if it was because I was used to FIFA 10 where manual passing was nothing like as fast as assisted/semi.

The only thing you need to judge much more precisely than an assisted player is the direction you press. Not only is the power bar passing going to have a big impact on assisted abusers' game plan, but also manual passing seems slightly faster than assisted/semi. I had a couple of issues with the amount of power in the pass being much greater than the power bar implied but this definitely seemed like a bug. I'll be raising it in my feedback form.

I seriously think manual users will be a lot happier once they've had the opportunity to sit down with the game and see how much slower and less ruthlessly accurate the assisted game is.
------------------------------
CPU/NPC AI


Q: More characterful/more like each team?
A: I didn't really get to play the CPU so I can't say. Dave797 did, as did T Mills.


Q: Is player switching better?
A: It was glitchy and it seemed to use quite different logic. One of the glitches was that you'd press L1 to switch and it wouldn't switch at all!

Other than that, it seemed surprisingly eager to switch players for me despite me only being on one notch from manual (I think). Generally I was ok with who it switched to when it did auto switch! But this area of the game is something that needs a lot more polish. It must be an extremely hard thing to get right, given that neither PES nor FIFA have managed to do so for all this time.
Generally the much slower gameplay makes this aspect of the game more forgiving, so, while I did think the player switching was rough around the edges, I don't remember it costing me a goal.


Q: Does the CPU misdirect passes?
A: Passing inaccuracy is across the board. The CPU plays with the same limitations that we do as far as stats are concerned. Hopefully Dave or Tom will have more to say on this.


Q: Multi challenge for loose balls?
A: The game feels more proactive about this. I hated how in FIFA 10/WC, it felt like, if you weren't controlling a player and a pass went right next to him, there was nothing you could do to intercept the ball, as if only one player on your team was allowed to care about the ball at a time!

FIFA 11 feels a lot more involving by comparison. The NPC players participate a lot more, as indicated when I was trying to test something. I had a 2 player game set up but I put one pad on the floor and played with the other. I noticed that Man Utd were moving very proactively to stop me being able to just waltz through on goal.

Valencia and Fletcher were all up in my face, pretty much jockey pressing by default. I thought that was quite interesting. Is this a new development? Has anyone looked at custom tactics with particular depth? Placebo must have. I imagine they're using the same custom tactics setup as in FIFA 10 since the databases were more or less untouched.


Q: Is Interceptions a trait?
A: Shit, didn't check! Might be reactions dependent.


---------------------------
BALL PHYSICS


Q: Does the ball seem freer? Such as in assisted/semi?
A: I think so. Maybe the way to describe it is, it feels less like players are automatically in control of the ball, and less like passes follow an invisible wire from one player to the next. Crosses in particular feel like you're humping the ball into the box, rather than putting the ball directly onto someone's head. There's still room for improvement in this regard, but having to chase a loose pass rather than just stand and watch the ball come to you definitely gives this aspect of the game a lift. First touch inaccuracy isn't in yet either, which will only improve this further.

Another point is that shots feel more speculative. You don't get the constant driven shots that you get in WC 2010, but at the same time low shots feel like they carry more menace. It's a fair bit harder to manufacture clear cut chances, which is perhaps why this is the case. R1 finesse shots from long range are fairly ineffective, I found. It might be too ineffective if anything - I'd sooner it was under than overpowered but I'll let EA know.



---------------------------
KEEPERS


Q: Do keepers feel less scripted/more human?
A: Yup. You don't get true flaps at crosses but i did see a couple of slightly uncertain punches that went to my player 15 yards away. The only shot type that I felt was unlikely to score was the R1 finesse shot from 30 yards, but then again I did shave the far post with one in all manual as Rooney.



to be continued....

 

[Lami]

Re: Fifa 11 News thread (No discussion) - WIP

7.7.2010

Creation Centre For FIFA 11

Create your dream team online.

EA SPORTS unveiled today a new feature called Creation Centre that will provide football fans with the tools to customise content in FIFA 11 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 in new ways. Craft your own football player and create the team of your dreams using a web-based application at www.easportsfootball.com. Create a player by choosing his appearance, accessories and attributes and then create an original team with a distinctive crest and kits, complete with home stadium.

Fans will be able to share their created players and teams with friends and download into their console to play online, in Tournaments and in Kick-Off matches in FIFA 11. In addition, fans can choose player attributes and manage their created team's formations and tactics right from the web. Creation Centre will launch when FIFA 11 is available in stores on 28 September in North America and 1 October in Europe and Asia.

"Having the ability to customise content in FIFA 11 to the degree where you are creating players and teams, choosing player attributes and managing team tactics effortlessly from the web opens up a world of possibilities of original content that fans will be able to create," said David Rutter, Producer of FIFA 11 on Xbox 360 and PS3. "Creation Centre will perfectly compliment the official league and team licenses that are the hallmark of the FIFA franchise."

Also new this year in FIFA 11 is Custom Audio, which enables fans to assign chants for every team and league in the game. Fans can set their home club's chants to play during player introductions, halftime, and after goals - even hearing their name echo in the stands of Old Trafford or San Siro with created chants for their Virtual Pro. Plus, fans now have the ability to play music from their hard drive in game.

Visit http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa to join the FIFA group on Facebook.

FIFA 11 will be available in stores for the PlayStation3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, PlayStation2, Nintendo DS, PSP and mobile on 28 September in North America and 1 October in Europe and Asia. FIFA 11 on Wii will be available in stores on 1 October in Europe and Asia and 4 October in North America.

Source

 

[Lami]

Re: Fifa 11 News thread (No discussion) - WIP

8.7.2010

FIFA 11 PC Goes Next-Gen!

Award-winning gameplay now on PC.

Electronic Arts announced today that the football engine that drives the award-winning EA SPORTS FIFA gameplay on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 has arrived for FIFA 11 PC. Two years in development, the console game engine has been optimised for PC, delivering next-generation console-quality gameplay, game modes and visuals to FIFA 11 PC.

"The EA SPORTS FIFA franchise is committed to investing and innovating for PC and this is a watershed moment," said Executive Producer Kaz Makita. "We are delivering to FIFA 11 PC the high-quality gameplay, innovative game modes and stunning graphics that have made FIFA the highest-rated sports game on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and winner of over 50 sports game of the year awards."

The physics-based, data-driven technology behind the EA SPORTS football engine has been optimised for PC to deliver true freedom on the pitch with individuality of player control and movement, sophisticated ball touches, and physical interaction between players. FIFA 11 PC will feature the market-leading true 360° dribbling system that gives players precise control of the ball and next-generation animation technology that delivers Skilled Dribbling, enabling skilled dribblers to face defenders and use highly responsive lateral dribbling to skip past them. Plus, Physical Play has been improved using collision sharing, creating a varied, less predictable, and extended fight for possession between players.

FIFA 11 PC features and game modes will be revealed in the coming weeks and months.

FIFA 11 will be available in stores on 1 October across Europe and Asia for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PSP.

Source

 

[Lami]

Re: Fifa 11 News thread (No discussion) - WIP

18.7.2010

Evo-web

Romagnoli's hand's on - Part II

Here it is - Part 2! Drink it down.

DRIBBLING
Do certain players dribble one footed?
No. It won't be in this FIFA I'm afraid. Make a big thing of it in my suggestions thread and I'll pass it across. I'm probably going to hold off on sending stuff to EA because I don't think this is the best time to send stuff over. It's too late for something as big as this to be implemented but too soon for EA to give such suggestions their full attention.

Is it easier to beat your man?
Might want to rephrase that..
Yes. When I was in Canada I was quite concerned about being able to judge the game because the responsiveness of players was pretty awful (FIFA 08 levels) and there was a pretty frequent bug with the trapping where players would just watch the ball roll timidly past them. Knowing that the shielding wasn't really in, the dribbling wasn't working and the positioning was too squashed in made judging how easy it was to retain possession very difficult.

It was the last hour or two of the whole week, when I got to play a much newer, tighter build of FIFA 11, that I felt a lot more confident about the game. The dribbling responsiveness went from being somewhere between FIFA 08/09 to being a tiny smidge better than WC2010. I was delighted with this and I'm sure owners of EA's most recent football title will be as well.

I'm a big fan of Serbia and Croatia in the WC game. Croatia are fairly lightweight and not particularly quick, but technically very proficient and with a formation that lends itself to passing triangles. Serbia are a lot more rigid and conventional with two banks of four, a dangerous right winger and a big target man. Both sides have a very wide spread of dribbling ability, meaning I'm encouraged to take people on with Krasic far more than Zigic, while Modric or Krancjar are both wonderful at retaining possession under pressure.

Needless to say, FIFA 11 develops on this. Weaker dribblers are far slower at turning now (see my comments in Part 1 about Accrington Stanley), while the most agile movers like Lennon and Modric are perhaps slightly more nimble than in the World Cup game. It might sound like this isn't enough, but the point is not that the dribbling was insufficiently effective in WC, but that the tackling ability of players was still too good (even though it was taken down a fair bit from FIFA 10). FIFA 11's reaction to this has been the tackling coverage changes and the fact that defenders can't just barge attackers and take the ball away.

I've not even touched on the 'close touch' dribbling given players like Robben, Messi, Arshavin etc. In truth I didn't play as the relevant sides a whole lot. I used lesser sides far more frequently. I did, however, set up a quick test match against the CPU with me as Barca and I just gave the ball to Messi every time, dribbling up and down the flank to try him out. He certainly can rip fullbacks up now if used properly. The close control running means that you can actually sprint at men with the ball rather than having to jog, which is a significant asset for a player to have.

Will it be game breaking? No. I don't think so. You don't just get a free ride through. It's going to have to be a tactical consideration to try and shut him out via double teaming and man marking, as Greece did in reality.



Oh, and there's an attribute-based dribbling move that doesn't use the right stick. La Croqueta, as loved by Iniesta.

Stop calling it Spanish things! It's the Beardsley Shimmy!

It's like one of the more drastic ones he does. Tap sideways and then forwards. It's awesome when you successfully pull it off.



DEFENCE
Have the defensive lines been fixed yet?
I didn't see a single problem. Apparently Adam from WENB did? But I genuinely didn't have any issues here at all. Defending was an absolute joy compared to FIFA 10 or WC. It feels like you're defending as a unit, rather than fighting against your own side. It was a real joy to behold as someone who loves defending and was pissed off at how often a full back would kill my offside line in the past couple of games. Being able to play as a lesser, yet defensively organised side, is finally feasible without people just passing diagonally into the striker and getting a free shot against my will.

I do wonder whether Adam was pressuring with his centre backs which meant the sprinted up from their defensive line while the full bakcs carried on, giving the impression of a FIFA 10 style dodgy back line. It's hard to say without having seen what he's seen. But to be fair Adam did make a point of saying he found defending was far more solid and reliable than in the past.

Is Jockeying more effective?
I've always found jockeying to be effective. The problem IMO is that pressuring was always more effective, while also being far easier!

Again, I'd say that jockeying and structured, organise defending is a lot more attainable than before. Pressuring still needs reining in - I said as much in my feedback form - but I've always been someone who tries to keep a rigid formation and defends quite narrowly to stop people slipping through the middle and this seemed much easier to do becausse everyone who was on my side felt like they were doing their job.

I did have some issues with jockeying that I fed back, as if I was fighting momentum more than I should have been when moving in particular directions. This is something that I flagged as needing to be fixed. On the whole though defending intelligently felt a lot easier.

Player Switching - does the defender stutter?
I didn't notice it as much. Not saying it was gone but it didn't seem as regular as before. The nature of the game's new pacing meant that it was more forgiving of issues like this.

I think I answered this somewhere in the forum already but for some reason the Evo-Web forums seem to be locking up at the moment - is it just me? I may come back and edit this when I don't just get a white screen!

Do you have to intercept passes more manually?

I've looked at my Q&A notes I made on the train ride back. I put 'Yes'. That's helpful for typing it up a month later!!

In WC2010 there was an issue where your player might be forced to receive/intercept a pass at a certain point, even if the intercept point is much further down the line and you will never get the ball compared to moving in the direction you wanted and trapping the ball. This issue is gone - you intercept the ball at the point in the ball's path you point at.

That said, your team mates are much more proactive in shutting out loose passes. FIFA 10 was rife with slow passes trickling past your team mates when they could blatantly just step out of their trance and control the ball. FIFA 11 addresses this too, even tying a stat to it (apparently!).

-----------
ANY DOUBTS/NIGGLES?
- Sideways/backwards passing inaccuracy at the lowest levels could do with stepping up a bit more. As I said in Part 1, the moment the pass tends to be slower and bouncier, but still a bit more directionally on target than I'd like. To be fair, first touch control wasn't in just yet, so that may contribute.

- Pressing is still a bit much, though we did find we were getting pretty good at making our own space towards the end of the day.

-Until the above two are fixed, personality will be slightly hampered.

- Stamina hadn't been fixed yet - but apparently it's going to be.

- Some running animations are a bit odd. I assume it was glitchy as it wasn't all that consistent, but at times a few players almost seemed like they were riding a bike! I flagged this up as something that, if it isn't a bug, will get a bit of a kicking on the forums. I'm pretty sure it was though.

- There's no way you'd expect to be able to tell from such a brief play, but once we have the game in our consoles it'll be interesting to see, if you can feel more subtle differences between similar players - will you be able to tell the difference between Barry and Carrick, for example.

- The only slight, but still present, doubt I have left is whether what we've played will represent the final title. Most of the people who went along last year will tell you that the FIFA 10 that was released was very different from the much slower, more realistic game they played. I'm very confident that the class of 2010 won't be stitched up as well; EA got a lot of stick for doing this, and for releasing an arcadey game after promising a sim. If EA do end up turning the game into something far more arcadey then it'll be a real shoe in the throat and I won't be interested in wasting any more of my own time with FIFA 12/13 etc. However I really can't see them doing it twice in a row given how horrifically it backfired last year. The reason EA invited us round so early this year (and for a week, not just a weekend) was precisely because they were extremely keen on getting our feedback and advice.

HAPPY THOUGHTS

- The game speed was perfect. Normal is what we've been asking Slow to be for ages.

- Defensive AI is leaps and bounds above 09/10/WC. Rock solid, as long as you are.

- Passing (in)accuracy and pace feels incredible, particularly at Premiership and Championship levels. When even Barcelona have passing inaccuracy, you know it's not a cheap gimmick!

- Crossing and heading feels utterly nailed on. Perfect sense of threat and excitement.

- The bouncing lob will be terrific once you get used to it being an option!

- It genuinely feels much more emotionally involving to play. Everything feels like a struggle, a competitive battle, like you're playing at the edge of your ability. When you score, you feel a lot more like celebrating than the dispassionate 'meh' of FIFA 10. I know this is something that was promised last year, but I did genuinely feel that way.

- You need to weight through balls. I tried a cheap and dirty cutback using assisted through ball and I put too much on it, missing a very easy chance (there weren't any defenders!).

- Generally speaking, it feels like a game pretty devoid of fuck ups. FIFA 10 and WC2010 were so enraging precisely because goals you conceded almost always felt like they weren't your fault. It'd feel like there was an enjoyable experience in there somewhere but it was agonisingly out of reach behind this semi-transparent film of exploitable glitches and gameplay bugs that took matters out of your hands.

- I wrote in my notes, "Assisted isn't a fucking disgrace anymore". You'll be able to play with assisted controls and feel a shred of dignity, like an old man who has regained control of his bowels and has ceremoniously dowsed his incontinence pants in petrol and cast them into the fire. I still don't see it as anything like as good as semi or manual controls in terms of enjoyability, but at least it feels like I can play against it!

OVERALL

Dead chuffed at it's progress in just a year (and including the WC game in that schedule!). It's amazing to see so many of Evo-Web's suggestions manifested in the next edition of FIFA. As I've said before, I'm not just interested in FIFA for the next game, but for the game after that as well. Some of the ideas we come up with, and the general rehabilitation of FIFA after it's arcadey FIFA 09/10 relapse, need to span over more than one release. But I feel that FIFA 11 is much more than just a platform to build on. In it's current form it's a damn good game in it's own right. It looks very similar to FIFA 10/WC graphically, but in terms of gameplay it's so much more than just a tweak. EA haven't rested on their laurels at all.

It answers a lot of our cries for a deeper footballing experience by overhauling physicality to be much more even handed, completely reworking it's attribute system, returning the pace of the game to FIFA 08 levels and listening to you hardcore football game fans who actually think about gameplay rather than boots or ankle tape. I bloody salute you lot.

When FIFA 11 comes out we'll undoubtedly find issues and niggles, as will be the case for any game where so many different people with different tastes and ideals crave perfection from one title. My personal opinion though - and I'm probably jinxing it now - is that (touch wood) a lot of the things we'll want to improve after a few months of play will be much more about improving the game, rather than fixing it. That's a very positive thing for those of us who want a great game that'll last them all year, and a particularly big plus for those of us who are full to bursting with ideas and suggestions and don't want EA to have to commit so much time to mending broken gameplay.

Roll on July 22nd for the next big release of news!

 

[Lami]

Re: Fifa 11 News thread (No discussion) - WIP

21.7.2010

FIFA 11 PC: More Details

Next-gen features revealed.

The EA SPORTS football engine that drives the award-winning FIFA franchise on Xbox 360 and PS3 has arrived on PC, delivering next generation console-quality gameplay, game modes and graphics. The physics-based, data-driven technology delivers true freedom on the pitch with individuality of player control and movement, sophisticated ball touches, and physical interaction between players. It is the most complete simulation of football on PC.

The market-leading true 360° Dribbling system gives players precise control of the ball and next generation animation technology delivers Skilled Dribbling, enabling skilled players to face defenders and use highly responsive lateral dribbling to skip past them. Plus, Physical Play has been improved using collision sharing, creating a varied, less predictable, and extended fight for possession between players.

Live out the fantasy of playing as a professional footballer in Virtual Pro. Put yourself in the game using Photo Game Face and then embark on a career with 230 accomplishments to master across all games modes. Begin in the Practice Arena where players can perfect their skills before stepping onto the pitch. Utilize Customisable Set Pieces to create your very own free kicks and corners from up to 32 different dead ball situations for use on match day. Record and test plays before taking them onto the pitch.

FIFA 11 delivers stunning player renders for every player, 62 different stadiums and front end menus with mouse and keyboard support for fast and easy navigation. New features and innovations will be revealed in the coming months.

Key Features


* Next Gen Football Engine - The physics-based, data-driven technology behind the EA SPORTS football engine has been optimized for PC. Experience true freedom on the pitch with individuality of player control and movement, sophisticated ball touches, and physical interaction between players.

* Next Gen Gameplay - The high quality gameplay, innovative game modes and stunning graphics that have made FIFA the highest rated sports game on the PS3 and Xbox 360 and winner of over 50 sports game of the year awards arrives on PC.

* Virtual Pro - Live out the fantasy of being a real life footballer by creating yourself in game with a 3D head using Game Face. Play as yourself across any mode. Grow your player attributes through 230 accomplishments and take your Virtual Pro online to become a global superstar.

* Customizable Set Pieces - Design and record your very own free kicks and corners for use on match day. Assign a specific run or movement to every outfield player on your team one at a time, and then combine them for the perfect set piece. Record, test and perfect them in the Practice Arena, then trigger in game.

* Practice Arena — Work on individual and team skills in a fully featured practice mode before stepping on the pitch. Select the number of attackers and defenders you want in play (eg 11v11, 5v5, or even 5v3), and practice in open play or from set pieces.

* 360° Dribbling — The market-leading true 360° dribbling system improves dribbling control from 8 directional to full 360° control. Players can now find spaces between defenders that previously were not possible.

* Skilled Dribbling — Next gen animation warping technology provides unprecedented control. Skilled players now have the ability to face a defender and use highly-responsive lateral dribbling to skip past him.

* Physical Play — New next gen collision sharing technology creates a varied, less predictable, and extended fight for possession between the dribbler and a defender.

* Player Urgency — Improved urgency AI logic, with over 50 next gen movement cycles, delivers more intelligent positioning and awareness so your players stay focused on the ball and move at a speed appropriate to the action.

* Attacking — Players analyze space more effectively, curve runs to create passing lanes and vary attacking options.

* Improved Defending Options — Defenders multi-task and play more intelligently by covering dangerous spaces left by out-of-position teammates. Better effort clearance logic, such as sliding to block crosses and overhead kick clearances, give defenders more tools to prevent goal-scoring opportunities.

* Goalkeeper Intelligence — Goalkeepers now have more urgency and better perception of where to intercept loose balls, resulting in a more responsive and powerful rushing system. New animation warping technology provides game-realistic goalkeeper positioning and momentum, resulting in more varied scoring opportunities.

* LAN Play — Host LAN parties and play friends online without being connected to EA servers.

* PC Tools — Innovations to improve the experience, including VOIP support and lobbies for match-making by skill and geographical location.

* Football World Integration — Go to easportsfootball.com to create your Game Face, search out rivals on global PC Leaderboards and create a PC-specific Friends Lists.

* Stunning Next Gen Graphics — High quality renders that bring every player on the pitch to life, plus 62 different stadiums.

* Complete Authenticity — Over 30 officially licensed leagues, 500 licensed teams and more than 15,000 players.


Product Specifications
Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.
Developer: EA Canada
Street Date: Sept. 28 NA; Oct. 1 EU/Asia

Recommended Specs: CPU with Dual core processor (Core duo 2 or better). Intel Core2Duo @ 2.4Ghz on Windows XP / Windows Vista / Windows 7. 1 Gigabyte of RAM (2 GB required for Windows Vista / Windows 7). DirectX® 9.0c Compatible 3D accelerated 256 MB video card or equivalent (must support Shader Model 3.0 or above). ATI RADEON HD 3870. NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800 GT
Rating: E for Everyone, PEGI 3+

Source

 

[Lami]

Re: Fifa 11 News thread (No discussion) - WIP

23.7.2010

FIFA 11: More Details!

Info and screens.

FIFA 11 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 reinvents player authenticity - on and off the ball - for every player and at every position on the pitch with Personality+, an all-new feature that sees individual abilities reflected in game, enabling clear differentiation for every player.

With Personality+ a footballer's abilities on the pitch are mirrored authentically in the game, creating individual personalities. Players will be distinguished from one another through a sophisticated database that evaluates and grades each player's skillset over 36 attributes and 57 traits, compiled by 1,700 scouts around the world. Real Madrid's Kaka will deliver crisp, creative passes; Barcelona's Andres Iniesta will utilise tighter turns and close control to dribble through defenses; Manchester United's Wayne Rooney will hold off defenders and strike shots from distance with pace; and top-flight defenders like Giorgio Chiellini of Juventus will anticipate, predict and react to offensive players to win back possession.

Goalkeepers have also been injected with Personality+. The real-life personality of the keeper, whether acrobatic or traditional, will dictate his style in the game. Dive attributes will determine keepers' ability to reach for further shots while reflex attributes determine reaction times, enabling a keeper like Petr Cech of Chelsea FC to showcase world-class skills.

Building on the FIFA 10 gameplay that won 50 sports game of the year awards, FIFA 11 introduces new Pro Passing where pass accuracy is determined by a gamer's ability on the control pad, as well as player skill, situation, and urgency on the pitch. Plus, experience true freedom in man-to-man interactions with 360° Fight for Possession that transforms physical play from just lateral jostling to full 360° collisions.

A series of new customisation tools will enable fans to transform FIFA 11 in new and personally meaningful ways. Go online at EASPORTSFootball.com in Creation Center to create a player or team, share them with friends and download into your console. Plus, assign customised chants for any team and play music tracks from your existing library within the game.

New features and innovations will be revealed in the coming months. Make sure to join our Facebook group to be the first to see it! http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa

KEY FEATURES

Personality+
A footballer's performance on the pitch is mirrored authentically in game, creating clearly differentiated players with individual personalities. Personality+ at every position and for every player reinvents how players perform on and off the ball.

Personality+ - Goalkeepers
The real-life personality of the Keeper, whether acrobatic or traditional, will dictate his style in the game. Dive attributes will determine keepers' ability to reach for further shots while the Reflex attribute determines reaction times.

Personality+ - CPU AI
CPU controlled football stars have a suite of skill moves to exploit, with star player attributes and specific behaviours attributed to particular players.

Personality+ - Celebrations
"User Controlled Celebrations 2.0" enables you to perform your players' trademark celebration and interact with teammates in real-time.

Personality+ - Player Models
Greater variety of bodies and models further distinguishes each player. Plus, new dribble run styles perfectly match players' real-world abilities and style.

Pro Passing System
A new passing system where pass accuracy is determined by a gamer's ability on the control pad, as well as player skill, situation, and urgency on the pitch. Poor decisions or over/under striking the ball will mean error-prone outcomes. New types of passes such as swerve passes will enable players to make a safer and more effective play.

360° Fight For Possession
True freedom in man-to-man interactions, transforming physical play from individual lateral jostling to full 360° collisions involving multiple players.

Advanced Intelligence
REAL AI now controls CPU players enabling them to recognise and react to patterns of play more sophisticated than simple on-the-ball decisions. Plus, hundreds of skill moves have been recorded and assigned to thousands of players.

Advanced Goalkeeper Awareness
Goalkeepers are now more aware of their surroundings and react more intelligently to each threat. Improvements include sprinting to cut off a loose ball, demonstrating urgency when scrambling back to the net, and the aptitude to skillfully identify and react to lob shots.

Creation Centre
Go online at EASPORTSFootball.com to craft your own player and create the team of your dreams. Plus, manage your team's formations and tactics right from the web. Create your player's appearance, accessories and attributes and then create a team with a distinctive crest and kits. Share with friends and download into your console to play online, in Tournaments and in Kick-Off matches. Created players can also be used in the Arena, Career Mode and Lounge Mode.

Career Mode
A new engine delivers an authentic experience that mimics the real-world game. Begin as a real player, created player or Virtual Pro and evolve into a player-manager and manager - or just begin at the top - and enjoy a 15-year career. Players now receive instant feedback and enjoy a vastly improved status system. Plus, authentic tournament structures, results and new calendar system, featuring simultaneous simulations, improve the speed and flow of games. Featuring new Team Management for simpler player comparison and Friends Leaderboard to compare stats and earnings.

My Music & Audio
Assign customised chants for every team and league. Set your home club's anthems and chants to play during player introductions, halftime, and after goals. Even hear your name echo in the stands of Old Trafford or San Siro with customised chants for your Virtual Pro. Plus, play music from your hard drive in game.

FIFA Theatre
Save highlights from any match - including online - right to your hard drive to view, replay or upload to EASPORTSFootball.com at any time.

Complete Authenticity
Over 30 officially licensed leagues, 500 licensed teams and more than 15,000 players.

Source

 

[Lami]

Re: Fifa 11 News thread (No discussion) - WIP

23.7.2010

FIFA 11 : Inside Personality+

The Backpage… with Darren Cross

Darren Cross talks to FIFA 11 Gameplay Producer Aaron McHardy to find out more about Personality+, how it will change the way you play and what it feels like to work on FIFA…

We’ve been hearing a lot about Personality+ and it sounds like being able to identify which players you’re controlling and what’s happening around them will be hugely important in FIFA 11, because that’s going to help you decide what to do next?
“That’s exactly it. You get the visual feedback that you can base your decision on, and then you’ll see it play out as you would expect it to in the real world. Effectively you start to learn your team and their abilities, whereas in the past it might have been ‘give it to the fast guy’, now that’s not the case. You might have a really fast player but his dribbling could be terrible and his touch poor, so you really have to learn which players are suited to which situations.”

Can you tell us a bit more about that?
“I support Arsenal so I’ll use Fabregas as an example. You know that in certain situations he’s capable of playing a 90 degree pass, but if his team-mate Eboue is in the same situation then he’s not going to be able to do that quite as well. That gives you a lot of personality in the teams, which is something that was always difficult to do because all the players are using the same engine.

Now that we can do that, the difference between a lower league team and a Premier League team in FIFA 11 is not necessarily that the Premier League team will all be faster. That’s not the case because some lower league teams have really fast players too. But you might have three really fast players on the lower league team who can’t do as much in front of goal as Premier League players, or can’t play a lofted through ball over the top quite as good. So what distinguishes a Premier League team now is that you have a squad full of players that can do these things.”

So Personality+ is going to take players a lot deeper into the game, because they’ll need to think more about the abilities of the guy they’re controlling?
“Absolutely. We have a tournament set up in our office between myself, Gary and Santiago, and we’ve each picked a different star team to make sure we’re matching smaller teams off against bigger ones. One of my teams is Barnet and I played against Santiago who was using Valencia. In that game I really had to think about what I was going to do. I like to think of myself as a football purist and I would hate to play for a manager who would tell me to just kick the ball up the pitch, but I’m there with Barnet thinking ‘I’ve got a fast guy upfront, this might be the best tactic!’ That’s what I ended up doing and it’s cool, because it really brings the personality of the teams and the players to life.”

So the player with a good football knowledge will know whether trying a certain pass in a game is a good idea or not, and a more casual fan will gradually learn what the players are capable of and what’s realistic?
“The whole aim for us is to try to build the game so that, if you’ve never played it before, it doesn’t matter if you have played football. If you’ve played football then you’ll know whether something is the right thing to do or not in a real match, and we want that to be the same in the game.

For the guy who doesn’t play football or doesn’t play our game, we’ve done a lot of work on giving him feedback too. So if you try a 180 degree pass for the first time the feedback will be that it’s a poor pass, because it’ll be slower and bouncing and things like that. You’ll also see an animation where the player is off balance, falling over and may end up on his backside. The idea is that you’ll notice that was difficult and learn from that over time.”

Talking of passing, one of the things that came up in Community feedback on FIFA 10 was ping-pong passing. How do you stop ping-pong passing, but also balance it so it’s still possible to put great passing moves together?
“We get a lot of feedback from the Community, and with the ping-pong passing a lot of people said ‘why don’t you make 180 degree passes totally inaccurate or take off assistance on 90 degree passes?’ but obviously that’s a very on-off behaviour. Trying to get it working in the right situations, and not working in the wrong ones, is very difficult. So now the whole thing comes back to the kicking error system.

What that does is calculate all the contexts – how the ball is coming to you, whether it’s coming to your strong foot, if you’re under pressure and so on – and the good thing about that is all the information is there for you to see. You can see the speed of the ball, you can see it’s bouncing, you can see that it’s not coming to your player’s good foot and that he’s got someone breathing down his neck. So, just like a professional footballer would, you make a quick decision that it isn’t the right thing to do, and you do something else.”

As well as responding to Community feedback, do you react to things that happen in real games too? So if you see something happen in a live match that’s not in FIFA, will you come into the office and suggest it the next day?
“Oh it happens all the time! It used to be the Producers that would drive a lot of that, but we have such a great team upstairs and all of us are really into football and watch a lot of it. We get emails from everyone saying things like ‘I saw this and we need to get it in the game!’ There are always ideas flying around about cool things we can do.”

Plus I guess you’re always looking out for things that could be better when you’re playing versions of the game during production?
“We’re constantly playing the game and finding things to analyse and behaviours to add. Last year we introduced covering, so that if a player was out of position then a team-mate would step in and briefly play his position for him. This year we’ve added a brand-new behaviour, which is the ability for players to swap positions. That might be wingers swapping, or a central midfielder could make a run wide, the wide player would move into the centre to cover him and then the midfielder would stay out wide for a few moments until they get the chance to swap back. We’re constantly adding behaviours like that to the game. We really analyse the most minute details of football.”

Sounds like a lot of work, but it must all be worth it when you release a game and it’s a huge success, like FIFA 10 is?
“Absolutely! Everyone was so proud. I think we won something like 50 Game Of The Year awards and two BAFTAs! I’d never seen a BAFTA before but now we’ve got two and one of them is on my desk! The guys are so proud and it’s hard not to be, because everyone really puts everything into it. We love it, and when you read on the forums that everyone is loving it too it really is a great sense of achievement and it makes everything worthwhile.”

Finally Aaron, what happens when you finish a big game like FIFA. Do you get a massive holiday?
“Yes and no. You do get some time off to recuperate, but usually everyone’s got a list of things they want to do for the next one and we jump into designing it and trying to find areas to improve!”

Source

 

[Lami]

Re: Fifa 11 News thread (No discussion) - WIP

23.7.2010

Various hands ons

Eurogamer Preview
IGN Preview
Videogamer Preview
Gamesradar Preview
Play.tm Preview
The Gaming Liberty Preview

 

[Lami]

27.7.2010

FIFA 11 NG; Manager Mode is changing...to Career Mode

Having received lots of feedback about Manager Mode in FIFA 10 the development team have been hard at work to bring to life the experience that users requested. Based on this feedback and the many suggestions from fans across the world Manager Mode is now changing to become Career Mode and has been built from scratch for FIFA 11.

Play through a footballer's career as a player, player-manager and then a manager. A brand new transfer system brings the ups and downs of the transfer window to life while the new calendar system means it is easier to plan your career, manage your squad or experience the thrill of breaking your way into the first team.

Players created using the new Creation Centre will be available to download into Career Mode so if you want you and your mates to all be a part of your favourite team and then manage them to ultimate glory, now you can.

There is also now a friend's leaderboard so you can see how you stack up against them in terms of stats and earnings throughout your career.

So the big question is; Player, Player-Manager or Manager? The choice is yours.



Career Mode in a bit more detail

Here in the office I've been fortunate enough to get access to an early build of Career Mode (playing as a Player-Manager) and so far it is a big change from FIFA 10. Things seem a lot slicker and refinements in a number of areas are definitely noticeable. So far I've taken Man Utd to Community Shield victory against Chelsea, signed Chiellini and Thiago Silva to replace the ageing Ferdinand and had a bid accepted for Benzema although I'm still to confirm personal terms with the player. Yes, you did read that right, "confirm personal terms with the player". The transfer system is now a two-stage negotiation where you agree a fee with the club in question and then have to agree terms with the player themselves. I've already had the experience of the club saying yes and the player saying no (Higuain) as he didn't want to move country.

There are now a few more search options in the transfer market with you being able to search for a primary attribute and a secondary attribute and respective ratings for them.

The main interface has changed dramatically and now has the look of an online "news portal", a bit like www.premierleague.com. You have a couple of news stories on display working in rotation, league ladder and top scorers lists on the right, career rating on the bottom left and then your menu options top left. The associated screenshot highlights this layout and as you progress through Career Mode you will become more familiar with it.

When changing days between matches the calendar now has a daily view and will stop progressing if there is an important action happening such as an email from a team interested in buying your player or something from the Board. You can easily see when the cup matches are, friendlies, international matches and your standard league matches. When you do get to a match and opt to Sim it there are a few new elements here as well. On the left of the screen you get both line-ups including substitutes and on the right you get a ticker updating you with important events from the match and a summary of key events from other matches happening at the same time. When you score, your players collect cards or get injured the left side of the screen updates with the appropriate symbol so you can easily see who has done what and who has been subbed.

On the side of injuries they are still there and have been tweaked as well. I got two injuries during the first match I simmed both of which were of different lengths; one 82 days and one 27 days. I got a news item on the main screen after the match telling me so and an email from the Coach drilling it in that these players would be unavailable and that I'd need to change my team selection accordingly. Injuries can also happen after matches, I played the Community Shield against Chelsea and got an email notification after winning that Rooney would be unavailable for a period having picked up a knock. Overall there are three types of injury; those that happen but aren't severe enough to sideline a player (stats reduced but can still play), those that sideline the player for a short period as they are unfit to play and those major injuries that can put a player out of action for months.

I'm still getting to grips with all the ins and outs but so far the changes that I have noticed are great and I'm enjoying playing it in the office. Look out for another article in the near future once I've guided Man Utd to victory and started a career as just a Player.

Discuss this in the FIFA Forums

Source

 

[Lami]

28.7.2010

IGN - FIFA 11: Shaping the Beautiful Game

David Rutter is fast becoming the face of FIFA, his laidback and affable demeanour doing little to mask the perfectionist streak that's helped make the series the definitive football game of this generation.

He's also an exceptionally busy man – between flying from country to country and enduring countless questions from the world's gaming media (and here's a depressing fact – we've probably spoken to Rutter more this year than we have our own mothers – sorry Mum) it's a wonder he gets any time to make the game at all.

We took the opportunity to sit down with him at EA's latest press event to talk about what's arguably the world's number 1 football game.

IGN: So how was your World Cup?

David Rutter: The World Cup was brilliant. It was the first time I've watched a World Cup in another country. The special part of it for me was that I was able to get up and watch each game in the morning before my wife and kids got out of bed, and then go to work, go to the gym while watching it on the telly so I watched every game.

IGN: Have there been any learnings from the World Cup – whether that's a player's performance or an aspect of the sport that's come to the fore – that you've wanted to get into the game?

David Rutter: It's been helpful in terms of reality checking some of the more difficult to follow players, but the big moment for us is when we're looking at the players and how they're playing some of their traits we can bring forward in the Personality Plus stuff. It's just more background so it's not a huge amount – apart from don't put vuvuzelas in the game.

IGN: And player stats – will Rooney, for example, now be a rabbit in the headlights?

David Rutter: I'm assuming that all the disappointing performances from players – particularly those in the Premiership that we know so well – are aberrations and not some dramatic decline. We'll be watching them closely to see the players that are clearly completely wrong, but I think it was just bad luck.

IGN: The ball in the World Cup was cited as a problem for a lot of the players –have you always replicated differing ball physics within FIFA?

David Rutter: We have – and the environment changes. I don't think we mimic altitude, and I've been thinking a lot about it. The ball physics that we have – Gary [Paterson, one of the masterminds behind FIFA] spent a long, long, long time tuning ball physics to be as realistic as possible, and I think people expect behaviours that are not realistic in a game for football. That said, I think all the players out there [in South Africa], with the exception of Diego Forlan, probably didn't get that ball.

IGN: You've said before that you live in fear of what Konami's doing next, and they've now begun to who their hand with PES. Have you been keeping track of PES 2011, and what are your thoughts on it?

David Rutter: Fear's probably a strong word, but we certainly use it to help push us up. I look at the features we've got – the refined gameplay, all the stuff we've got responding to feedback like Pro Passing and you can lump the career mode stuff in there as well, plus our 360 degree physical play, our custom audio and all the stuff we've yet to announce – I don't think we've got a huge amount to be worried about. I've been following it, and I know they released a video recently but I've not been able to see it yet. What did you think?

IGN: It's certainly interesting – we got to spend a fair amount of time playing it recently, and as someone who's played a fair amount of football games I needed to totally rewire my brain.

David Rutter: I'm interested to see how people react to the manual setting throughout the game. With us having had it for so long it's a minority activity – that said it is good fun.

IGN: It is in some ways similar to the philosophy of Pro Passing, something that's being highlighted this year. A simple question – are there spies operating within Konami and EA?

David Rutter: It's coincidental – last year we went out with 360 degree dribbling very early, then they came out with it in Cologne, and I still don't actually believe that it's 360 degree dribbling. And then we both went out with the passing work at the same time. I think ours is totally different to theirs'. We already have the manual system in the game, and what we wanted to do was make it more contextually correct while at the same time making it enjoyable rather than frustrating for people, and I think we've done that. We haven't got spies.

IGN: There's always been some overlap in the feature sets of both games though.

David Rutter: It's like FIFA 09 – we had the custom tactics, and then last year they had their player cards and tactical stuff, and even the videos were very similar to ours. It's nice, but at the same time I won't say they're copying us. We're taking inspiration about making great gameplay, and for me that's – as a PES fanboy – that's where they were.

A new three tier career mode has been announced today - can you hand-on-heart say it'll be free of the troubles reported with last year's manager mode?

David Rutter: I can hand-on-heart say that we've working our bits off this year to make sure. I don't know whether people believe it or not, which is why I'm showing pictures of dev-track this year. We were very upset with some of the negativity around it last year. There are bugs in there and they do affect people – I can't think of any games without bugs, but that said it's terribly disappointing for the team, we're upset because it really did take the shine off of my personal success and the success of the team, and it's not something we want to repeat.

 

[Lami]

5.8.2010

FIFA 11 : Digging Deeper into Career Mode

Following the great reception for the first article about the FIFA 11 Career Mode I thought I may as well look to write this second one to add a bit more detail and talk around some of the other areas of the mode I only briefly touched on last time. Having now spent a bit more time with it I have finally started to get to grips with some of the ins and outs but that doesn’t mean I’ve mastered it by any means.

The first article started with a look at a Player-Manager career and I want to carry this on before I jump into the Player Career. So I managed to take Man Utd to FA Cup victory but only managed a 5th place finish in the league after simming all the matches to get through the season. Whilst there wasn’t a celebration or cutscene for winning the FA Cup what happened at the end of the season was quite interesting. I got a few emails from the board stating that they weren’t very happy with my performance during the season as I hadn’t met the objectives they set me (Top 4 finish). They did however offer me a contract extension on the basis that I had showed some potential and that hopefully what I had learnt from the first season would put me in with a chance for Season 2. The contract was offered and surprisingly I was also offered a contract offer by Man City at the same time. Tough choice being a Man Utd fan so I opted to stay where I was to see if I could build on my FA Cup victory from the first season. One thing I did notice as soon as I started the new season though (or rather the summer transfer period) was that my reputation had dropped down a bit and I was still a half-star manager. Looks like my failure to meet the board objectives for the first season have tarnished my reputation.

In the forums there have been some questions about transfers, training, player growth and a whole bunch of other things. To try and answer some of these here is what I experienced whilst playing; West Ham sold Matthew Upson to Sunderland and then made a bid on Paul Scholes when I put him on the market. I loaned some of my youth players out and you have the option to set for a 3 month loan or a season long loan. You can also cancel a loan if you want to bring them back at any stage but there is a penalty fee attached if you bring them back early. In the build that I am playing there doesn’t look to be an option to offer cash and a player or do a player exchange when negotiating to buy a player. There is a plus side though with the two-tiered transfer system, you can now be outbid and “sniped” when making transfers. Given that you have to first get the club to accept a bid and then discuss terms with the player the club could accept two bids and you could still lose the player if they accept personal terms from a rival.

Player growth does happen, I had a series of emails from the coach telling me that a player had improved, and those that were getting older were losing their overall rating (Giggs went down by a point over the course of the season). I also got emails telling me that a player had hit form and suggesting that I should include them in my line-up for the next match or give them a bit more responsibility. On the player growth screen you actually get comments from the coach like “Has reached his potential, isn’t going to grown anymore” or “could develop quickly if given game time”.

Given that this is completely new code and doesn’t borrow from FIFA 10 there are a couple of things that have been stripped to ensure that this fresh start for Career Mode lives up to expectations. For now there are no training options, or those to improve your stadium, negotiator, coaches etc. One of the new elements when it comes to budget and transfers though is the “Budget Allocator”, you can change the proportion of your budget allocated to transfer fees and to player wages based on a sliding scale. So I may start with a 80/20 split with £50 Million to spend and £200K wage budget, change the slider to 60/40 and that may be £40 Million to spend and £250K wage budget. This gives some flexibility if you are trying to buy specific players but haven’t got the wages to cover it, or don’t need the wages and want a bit more free cash. There is a limit however, when doing this you get the notification this is only available 3 times so you need to make your decisions wisely.

Playing Career Mode as a Player

Having flirted with Player-Manager I thought I better get to grips with what it is like in the Player Mode, what was essentially Be a Pro Seasons in FIFA 10. For this I created my VP, the fantastically named C. Elito and joined Arsenal for a bit of a change. I got the option to take long socks or short socks, shirt tucked or untucked, ankle tape or no ankle tape and a few others when creating my VP and I think I can go back and change them at a later date if I get bored of how he looks.

When I jumped into the friendly matches before the season started I had a 0/8 rating as a “Prospect” and was given the opportunity to play all the matches to show the Manager how good I was. Things didn’t quite go to plan, I managed to get reasonable ratings but didn’t score in any of the matches so my rating stayed at 0/8. I did however get an email from the coach telling me that one of my team mates had been injured in one of the friendly matches along with notification of how long he would be absent for, quite a nice touch I thought.

Moving to the first game of the season I was picked to start against Man Utd playing alongside Fabregas and Co. The game ended in a draw, 1-1, with Fab scoring a penalty I created by bustling my way into the box but overall my performance wasn’t great. After the match I got an email from the Manager letting me know that although I played well I wasn’t yet ready for the limelight and that I wouldn’t be playing the next match. I advanced through the days and had to sim the next match, and the one after that, and the one after that so much like in real life, if you don’t take the opportunities presented with both hands you will spend time on the sidelines watching. I need to make sure that next time I get to play I score a hat-trick and then see what the Manager has to say.

Other bits and pieces

I’ve also dabbled with the pure Manager element of Career Mode and this leans quite heavily to what you experience in Player-Manager however the playing element is a little different. You can still do transfers, select the team, alter the formations and have the board challenges to go against but when playing matches you control the whole team as you did last year. There is also no option to create a player or VP and have them as part of your squad. I guess this is where the line is drawn between the 3 elements of Career Mode. Player Mode you can play as your VP, get accomplishments and develop aiming for individual and international glory whilst Player-Manager you have the stresses and strains of management whilst also being able to develop a VP if you want to. All 3 have playing options in them but they each differ; Player Mode has you playing in the BAP camera mode controlling just your VP or the full team, Player-Manager has you playing in a traditional camera view (although you can change it) and who you control depends on the management decisions you make, put yourself in the starting line-up and you will only control yourself, leave your playing self off the starting 11 and you can control the whole team. As a Manager you control the whole team in the traditional kick-off style.

Source

 

[Lami]

9.8.2010

The Backpage FIFA 11 Update

The Backpage with Darren Cross

As Mondays go, Monday August 2 definitely ranks in my Top 5 Mondays ever. I can’t remember what happened on the other four days on the list to compare it to, but this particular Monday has got to be up there anyway. It was that good.

At least, it was until Carlos Tevez ruined it. Let me explain…

Minutes after I arrived at the MATCH offices for a day’s work, three things landed on my desk and each new item trumped the one before. For starters, the new Arcade Fire album came through and they’re one of my favourite bands ever, so I was more than a bit chuffed about that. (It’s excellent, by the way).

Then I signed for another package that turned out to be an iPhone 4. I had absolutely no idea how to use this, but it looked better than the brick I used to have and automatically tagged a ‘Sent from my iPhone 4’ signature to the end of each email, so I obviously spent the next couple of hours sending ‘Hello. Sent from my iPhone 4’ messages to all my friends who haven’t got one. I think they liked that.

Soon after, I got another email from the postroom telling me I had a third package to sign for. Thinking that my day couldn’t possibly get any better, I wandered off to pick it up expecting it to be something far less exciting than the album and the phone, but I was wrong.

It was FIFA 11.

Now I’m not the sort of person who spends his time at work waiting to go home then jumping out of his seat as soon as the working day ends, but with FIFA 11 in my hand and my debug 360 console 30 miles away, I wasn’t planning on hanging around any longer than I had to on this occasion. As soon as the clock struck 5.30, I was out of there and on the road, looking forward to seeing how the game had progressed since the last time I played it at EA’s FIFA headquarters in Vancouver, back in May.

After going through the loading screens – which were all just placeholders in this version – I arrived at the main menu and quickly selected kick-off, which was actually my only option anyway as none of the other game modes were available in this build.

As is customary with the FIFA series now, the game asked me who my favourite team was (Man. United) and my level of experience. With hindsight I definitely should have selected ‘complete amateur’, but more on that in a sec.

Off I went into a derby match against big-spending local rivals City thinking that I’d try out some of United’s new boys and youngsters, so Chris Smalling came in for Rio, the Da Silva twins started in the full-back positions and Javier Hernandez made his debut up front alongside Wazza. We were all set.

And we made a comfortable start. Keen to see how Pro Passing had progressed, I started moving the ball to my players in space, paying particular attention to the pass bar. As you may already know, you now have far more control over the weight and pace of your passes by choosing how long to hold the short or lob pass buttons down for, and the game gives you feedback by putting a marker on the bar to show you which point you should have let go to execute a better pass. It’s a very clever feature and that marker, combined with the visual feedback you get from watching the ball, really helps you identify when you’ve got it right – and wrong – so that you learn for next time. Very clever.

So we began to keep the ball and play some neat and tidy football, which was highlighted by the in-game stats that popped up and were commented on by the, err, commentators, but at no point did it feel ping-pong in any way. That’s not to say it’s not possible to put a series of nice, quick passes together and advance on your opponents’ goal, because it is. The difference now though is that you have to work harder for it, making sure that you’ve got players with good passing attributes in the right positions to receive the ball and move it on or have a pop at goal. The result, when your efforts do pay off, is a real feeling of achievement because you’ve just done so much more than simply hit the pass button five times in a row. Ping-pong passing is definitely a thing of the past.

The other thing that really stood out for me was the initial visual impact of Personality+. Anyone with a decent knowledge of football will be left in absolutely no doubt about which player they’re controlling when using a team they’re familiar with. On top of the way the players look, you can also tell who many of them are by the way they move, which was the first thing I thought as Carlos Tevez muscled his way past my centre-backs and slammed the ball into the back of my net.

To make matters worse, Carlos decided to show me how good another of FIFA 11’s new features is by running over to the fans and performing his trademark hands-behind-the-ears celebration, just like he did when he bagged in the Carling Cup game against United last season. Although that stung a bit (Tevez was my favourite player when he was at United and I’m still gutted we sold him) it did make me sit back and appreciate the work the team at EA have done on celebrations. It looked amazing and got even better when Tevez’s team-mate Adebayor ran up behind him and picked him up, all still within the in-game camera – there was no cutscene. I almost stood up and clapped.

I played the game for a good few hours after that, and got my ass kicked pretty much every time – the AI seemed much more aggressive in defence and far more intelligent going forward – but that’s a good thing as it promises some real challenges offline when playing on a high skill setting.

Considering my version is far from final, it plays really well and the new features I’ve briefly talked about above make it feel more like real football than any other version of FIFA ever has. I can’t wait to see how much further it has improved by the time we see the final version on October 1.

See you next week.

Darren

Source

 

[Lami]

17.8.2010

Now Fans Can Play As the Goalie In EA SPORTS FIFA 11

All 22 Players can be controlled

Cologne, Germany, Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that EA SPORTSTM has developed a new feature called Be A Goalkeeper for FIFA 11 that will enable fans to experience the thrill of playing as the keeper, and for the first time in a football videogame, will place control of all 22 players on the pitch in human hands.

The new feature will be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system when FIFA 11 is available in stores September 28 in North America and October 1 in Europe and Asia.

Chelsea FC and Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Cech has been signed as the spokesperson for Be A Goalkeeper and will be featured in advertising, marketing and promotional campaigns.

Be A Goalkeeper is a completely new way to play—instead of thinking as a player out in the middle of the pitch, you have to think and react as the goalkeeper. Experience the thrill of the one on one battle, making the great save from a free kick, punching balls safely out of danger, the pressure of the corner, and most importantly, keeping a clean sheet. Be A Goalkeeper features three levels of accessibility with varying degrees of AI assistance—assisted, semi-assisted and fully manual. Fans will be able to compete as the goalie in Career Mode and enjoy a 15-year career or create themselves as the goalie in Virtual Pro 2.0 to learn the position, track stats, complete achievements and test themselves against the best players in the virtual world.

With control of the keeper now in human hands FIFA 11 will deliver an authentic replication of football online with 11 vs. 11 Online Team Play that locks people into the role of a single, fixed player the entire game. Now up to 11 friends on different consoles will be able to select and take control of their own individual players on the same team to compete against up to 11 rivals of another team.

“The phenomenal growth of online gaming and the desire of our fans to be able to play as the goalie was the driving force behind this innovation for FIFA 11,” said Kaz Makita, Executive Producer, EA SPORTS FIFA. “Friends can play alongside each other in their pro clubs with all 11 virtual players on the pitch human controlled. We have finally replicated football in the virtual world.”

Over 750 million online connected games have been played since FIFA 10 launched last October and over 350,000 pro clubs have been created that enable friends to compete alongside each other against rival clubs. Pro Clubs is one of the most popular online game modes in FIFA.

FIFA 11 reinvents player authenticity – on and off the ball – for every position on the pitch with Personality+, and introduces new Pro Passing where pass accuracy is determined by a gamer’s ability on the control pad, and player skill, situation and urgency on the pitch. Plus, experience true freedom in man-to-man interactions with 360° Fight for Possession that transforms physical play from just lateral jostling to full 360° collisions.

Visit http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa to join the EA SPORTS FIFA Facebook group or visit WWW.FIFA.EASPORTS.COM for more information about the game. New game modes and innovations will be revealed later this month.

Source

 

[Lami]

27.8.2010

FIFA 11 Producer Blog: Career Mode

Hello all,

My name is Marcel Kuhn and I am a Producer/Designer for offline and online Game Modes on FIFA 11. My main focus for FIFA 11 is the all-new Career Mode and I wanted to give you some insight to what this game mode is all about.You’ve probably played Manager Mode and Be A Pro: Seasons in FIFA 10. For FIFA 11, we’ve decided to remove these two Game Modes and create a totally new experience that combines these two Modes into one connected Mode - that Mode is called Career Mode.

As we come closer to the release of FIFA 11 we will be revealing many more details about this game mode, but today I want to focus on some of the basic building blocks of the mode as well as take you on a journey through the first couple of weeks in this year’s Career Mode.

To start off, I created my Virtual Pro and trained him a bit in the arena before taking him with me in the Career Mode.

The first choice I have to make is if I want to start a career as a Player, a Manager or a Player-Manager. Either choice will allow you to play a 15-year long career. To experience a total football career you can start as a player and when the time comes to hang your boots up you can become a Manager. Or you can start as a Manager right away, the choice is yours.

I will go for a Player-Manager Career, as that will allow me to play locked to my Virtual Pro or to control the whole squad. Also I can make the choice to field my Virtual Pro or not as I will be responsible for the line-up of my squad.

Spoiler

Embarking on a 15-year long career starting as a Player Manager!

As I start the new Bundesliga season I will pick VfB Stuttgart as my team and use my Virtual Pro as my player.

Spoiler

My first contract, let's just sign and get on with it will you!

After signing and saving my Career I arrive in the Career Mode HUB. I get greeted by several news items, telling me about the Transfer Window being open, what teams I will face in Pre-Season Friendlies, and that my first League Match will be vs. Werder Bremen - tough opponent to start the season against.

Spoiler

Friendlies vs. Caen, Villarreal and Ramenskoye - will be great to test the new transfers.

You may or may not know, but Stuttgart lost many starting 11 players over the summer break - Sami Khedira (to Real Madrid), Roberto Hilbert (to Besiktas) and Aleksandar Hleb (back to Barcelona) to only name a few. During the World Cup many teams used a 4-2-3-1 formation, therefore I want to look into some key transfers to mould my squad into that formation.

Let’s have a look at the current Stuttgart squad to see what kind of changes I have to make…

In goal I have an inexperienced 21-year old GK named S. Ulreich. He waited for his chance behind J. Lehmann last season, so I will give him a chance to prove himself. In addition my current back-up is experienced and can come in if needed.

In defense, Stuttgart have quite some depth and they have recently added P. Degen on loan from Liverpool. Talking about loans, one of the cool new features this year is that loaned in and loaned out players are actually treated as such when the mode starts, so Degen will return to Liverpool after he finishes his loan stint at Stuttgart. I also have the choice to loan players for a full season or only for a shorter period (3 months), which allows you to fill up your squad should you run into injury and / or suspension trouble.

Spoiler

Once the season is over, it's back to Anfield for Mr. Degen.

The two holding midfield positions belong to Kuzmanovic and Traesch. I also have Gentner on my squad who returned to Stuttgart after a successful season at Wolfsburg. As these positions are crucial in the formation I am planning to go with, I will try to add a top rated, starting 11 player to my team.

For the remaining midfield and winger positions I have talented but young players, so I will have to add an experienced winger to my squad as well.

Cacau will play the Attacking Midfield role as he has pace and is a good distance shooter. The lone forward role belongs to Pavel Pogrebnyak and he is backed up by Ciprian Marica. No real urgency to add players here either.

Here’s my wishlist:

* 1 top defensive Midfielder and 1 experienced Winger.
* Players that will have to look for a new club: Celozzi (RB), Elson (CAM) and Schwarz (CM)
* Players that are young but not ready for the Bundesliga: Didavi (LM), Funk (CM) and Riedle (ST)

First I’ll have a look at the current Free Agents, but with the exception of M. Azaouagh there isn’t a player that really interests me. As he is a CAM and I will not pursue him. On to the Transfer Listed players, as I have specific needs (CDM & RW/LW) I will scout the market for these positions.

Spoiler

More search options allow me to find the exact players I need faster.

No flat-out “this is the guy I want” on here, but Rodwell from Everton is definitely worth a try as he is a young and talented player that would be a good fit for my squad. I offer Everton 6.4 Mil Euro, which is slightly below his market value and see what they have to say.

Spoiler

Changing the offers is now faster as you can modify each digit individually.

I am still not 100 percent happy as I would like a higher rated player that can make an immediate impact. Therefore I will search for non-transfer listed players that match my overall expectations.

My next search is:

* Overall: 80-90
* Position: Midfield
* Role: Centre Defensive Midfield
* Transfer Status: Any
* Max. Transfer Value: 10 Mil.

Spoiler

That's more like it - but it definitely comes at a price.

I will submit bids to G. Barry (Man City), J. Makoun (Ol. Lyon) and S. M’Bia (O. Marseille). As they are all starting 11 players for their clubs, my negotiator is warning me that I will have to pay some extra money to even have my offer looked at. My overall transfer budget is not very large, therefore I have my eyes set on M’Bia. In my eyes, he is the best overall package and at 6.3 Mil Market Value he carries the smallest price tag.

Spoiler

You need to offer more than a player's market value if he is not transfer listed.

Now let’s look for wingers… for the right wing all that’s on the market are Joaquin from Valencia (who at 15 Mil Euros is a bit out of my budget range) and Keko (young Spaniard who is not really an improvement to what I already have on my squad). Regarding left wingers, I find Inter-reject Mancini (overall 74 and not fast enough anymore) and Juanma (same assessment as Keko). Again, no luck with the players that are transfer listed, so I will try to lure a non-transfer listed player away from their current club.

My next searches are:

* Overall: 75-85
* Acceleration: 80-100
* Position: Midfield
* Role: Left/Right Wing
* Transfer Status: Any
* Max. Transfer Value: 10 Mil.

The first player I find is C. Bellamy, who is already at Cardiff (well done to our Data Collection team for that one and would be a perfect fit. I also submit a bid to Braga for Helder Barbosa (a young Portoguese left winger), A. Sanchez (Udinese) and R. Beerens (Heerenveen). I am not getting my hopes up too high, as I only offer market value for these players.

Once I advance to the next match I get emails from my board regarding the season objectives (Finish Top 6) and the Transfer Market.

Spoiler

Additional players are going to be added to the transfer list while advancing via the calendar - therefore keep your eyes open at all times to find the perfect player.

Transfer market activity begins and the first transfers can be reviewed while waiting for your first friendly match. As soon as there are responses to the submitted offers, the simulation gets interrupted and you can review the responses via incoming emails.

As expected, the clubs whose starting 11 players I was targeting are not very susceptible to my transfer offers. I get 2 offers flat out declined, Braga tells me that they don’t want to sell Barbosa as they’ve just recently acquired his services (they purchased him in July 2010 from Porto). Similar response from Cardiff, who want to keep their home-town boy, no matter what I offer, in addition it’s not really “their” player as he is on loan from Manchester City. Heerenveen is a bit more open for negotiations, but they put a hefty price tag on the player and ask me to increase my offer to almost 12 Mil Euros. I’m not willing to pay that amount of cash, therefore I turn to the last email in my inbox and to my surprise Man City has accepted my 11.5 Mil Euro offer for Gareth Barry. I respectfully decline Heerenveen’s offer and the negotiations end here, but I enter the next stage and submit a Wage offer to G. Barry. In my opinion, he would be a signing that gives me the immediate boost I want. At this point my negotiator warns me, that several other clubs are interested in the player as well, therefore I increase my offer to 65k/week for a 3 year long contract.

After a couple of days the first offers for my players come in and I want to make sure they find a new home quickly - I loan Riedle for the season to Manisaspor in Turkey and Didavi to Nice in France. Responses for my other negotiations come back as well. Udinese as well as Everton want to push the price for their players up. I pull out of the Udinese negotiations, but raise my offer for Rodwell from 6.4 Mil Euros to 6.8 Mil Euro (Everton was asking for 9.4 Mil). I seem to have my way with the French clubs as both Lyon and Marseille accept my offers. M’Bia is my Plan B in case I can’t sign Barry, therefore I give him an offer he surely can’t refuse. After that’s done, I remove myself from further negotiations with Makoun.

My mission to build my squad for the next season continues and I sell my first player; Celozzi is headed to France and will play for AS Nancy next season - I wish him the best of luck there and put 3.6 Mil Euros on my bank account . During the calendar sim, I observe that United loaned out Macheda to Valencia, good move as the kid wouldn’t have gotten too much playing time this season.

More updates on my negotiations arrive, M’Bia accepts my offer and Barry submits a counter offer via his agent. He wants his wage offer raised to 80k/week, which after consulting with Adam (English SE on Career Mode) is too much. So I go for M’Bia and my first new signing costs me 8.5 Mil Euros. After both sides have signed the contract, the Chief Exec of my club congratulates me on signing a new player and reminds me to put him in the line-up soon… M’Bia immediately replaces Traesch in the starting formation.

Everton must have gotten wind of the M’Bia transfer who fills my defensive midfield void, so they reduce price for Rodwell to 8 Mil Euros. Since I am not really interested anymore, I will see how far down I can get the price and I reply with a 7.2 Mil Euro offer. In the meantime, Elson is off to Palermo, which adds another 6.1 Mil Euro to my bankroll. Another round of negotiations with Everton, who seem to start to get annoyed with me trying to low-ball them. They raise the price up to 8.4 Mil Euro. Back in the HUB, I get a news item of a transfer within my league, apparently Karim Haggui has left Hannover and joined “The Hammers” for 5.6 Mil Euros.

The next email I receive confirms my suspicion that Everton are getting annoyed with me…

Spoiler

I guess this negotiation is over

As the first friendly match comes closer I have to think about my situation on the wings some more. I think M’Bia allows me to play either Kuzmanovic or Traesch on the wing, so despite having some more cash on the bank, I will play my first match without any further transfers for now. Other teams in my league seem to be preparing for the new season as well - Gladbach announces the signing of Park Chu Young from AS Monaco, nice signing…

Ramenskoye is my first opponent and I have decided to start my first 11, including myself on right wing.

Spoiler

First match of the season - I am excited!

So far we’ve covered how to start your career based on the three different types of careers available and we had a look at the transfer system. Based on the examples from my play through I’ve shown you how we have a new layer in the negotiation process for FIFA 11’s Career Mode. In order to complete a signing, you have to negotiate with the club as well as the player. As this is one of the major base systems of the mode, I will probably come back to it in one of the next blogs… for now I am off to play my first match of the season and I hope you you’ve enjoyed what you read about Career Mode so far.

Cheers,

Marcel

Source

 

[Lami]

7.9.2010

Forum member Nick Cave's CM preview, Part I

Nick Cave's Career Mode Preview... (Part One)
​

Ever since Wayne Rooney’s opening shot clip in FIFA 10 (which has tried all year to destroy my poor sub woofer), and my first click of what has become a long love, despair and hate relationship with the bug infested mess that is Manager Mode, I have been waiting and hoping for the next incarnation.
This was announced as the first year of the next step from EA, yet within a week I, along with countless others, were clambering for fixes and bemoaning the lack of depth in what is one of the most played and loved features in FIFA.
It was clear that the problems in Manager Mode were more than skin deep, and so it was that with the coming of FIFA 11, the now bemoaned mode was gone and in its place EA announced the next chapter, an all new Career Mode..

This was to incorporate not only the standard Manager mode, but also bring BAP to an all new level, giving you the chance to play for your club and then on to become the legend that is a player manager and follow in the footsteps of the greats like: Dalglish, Souness, Pedernera, (who! Look him up) Wise and Claridge.. well there is no guarantee of greatness..
Then once the time has come to hang up your boots it’s on to being a manager, molding your squad and finding that new talent, wheeling and dealing (not unlike a certain London based manager *cough* in denial *cough*) in the transfer market, while finding the right tactics to attain the silverware and prestige of managerial greatness..

Career mode has a great deal to achieve if it is to remove the bitter aftertaste of Manager Mode from the memories of many a devoted fan, and it was with this in mind (this and the fact Phil forgot the disc’s at the Emirates event) that I made my way down a foggy M1 to the head offices of EA at Guilford last Friday morning.
It was here, after arriving early and sampling some of the delights of Guildford, including I must add, one of the worst cups of coffee I have ever had the misfortune to taste at ‘muffy Tops’, (name changed to protect the innocent, but you know who you are you purveyors of shame) after which (while still trying to remove the taste with a whole box of Tic-Tac’s) I met up with Phil along with Tom, who as I’m sure you’ll know from the great (I’m still banned from the forum by the way) FIFA Soccer Blog site..

After Phil located the disc (no doubt some lucky EA employee was holed up with it somewhere already getting their fix) we settled down to what would be a much anticipated and long day of dissecting the all new Career Mode. A short while later we were greeted with the entrance screens, which thankfully were somewhat quieter than 10, and could be skipped in most cases, and we were into the Arena, Tom noting it was lifted straight from 10, and this would be the first moan on the boards, cue chuckles.. and then we we’re in..

Before I plunge into the modes proper I feel I need to just point out for clarification as there still seems to be some confusion as to just what the differences and limits are between the modes.

There are, as we all now know, three separate modes, Player, Player/Manager and Manager. You can start in any mode and have your VP or created player as well as selecting any squad member in Player and Player/Manager mode, the limitations are (as we were told) that as a player you will have 7 years to ply your trade, after which time if you have done well enough to have achieved the club legend status you will then have the option to extend your playing days by becoming the vaunted status of a Player/Manager for a further 4 years before the ravages of time take their toll, and you have to don the dodgy coat or retro club coloured scarf which seems all the rage at the moment, and dive into your Managerial career.

Another nice little touch is your stats being displayed in the screens between the Arena and modes..


Player Mode

The main screen has been shown in many a clip, so you will all be familiar with the three options of Player, Player/Manager and Manager.
We decide to take the first things first approach and so we hit Player Mode, and we are in, and after picking the basics such as game length etc. we are greeted with the Create/Pick Player screen. Here you can load your created player or select one from the game, and we go for Leeds and pick L.Sam, a midfield squad player.

You are then offered a contract; this will show you your wages and the personal goals you are set by the club for the forthcoming season. These will alter depending on the player you choose; a benchwarmer will have a goal such as “break into the first team” while a reserve would be “become a squad player”. Their wages as you would expect reflect their status and position.

Within the Player screen you find the options for Calendar, My Career, SkySports.com and settings. These are nicely laid out, as are all the menus for that matter, and are similar to what we have become used to since 10 and WC, but that’s not a bad thing in my book.
The main screen layout I think most people will be familiar with as certain images have been posted. You have the news from your leagues and others displayed in five smaller boxes, along with a larger screen that shows these in greater detail as it scrolls through them. The images are relevant to your club when used which is a very nice touch. You also have your league in* on the end of the screen, standings and scorers etc..

I’ll come back to the Calendar screen, as being a Player other than checking the next games the options are limited..

The Sky Sports option opens a screen containing all the relevant information and news you could need. This includes your team and player stats for all cups and leagues, along with being able to look at all the other league standings. You are also able to look at the current news in more depth..

In the My Career option you find all the information you could need from your clubs, titles and cups to your current value and wage, along with the team of the week, player of the month and year. Some of this is relevant to your VP rating, such as wage and value..

You also find your individual stats such as Played, Scored, Red and Yellow cards etc. This you can see by season or overall, but enough about screens, it’s time to play a match.
As before, you can now go in and change the game settings for things like HUD and Player Indicator as well as time, score and radar, which can be off, 2 or 3D. Also in here you can now alter the nets, and have a choice of Rectangle/Square/Triangle/Default, along with Tension, which can be Tight/Loose/Regular or Default..

On to the pre-game screen, which as with the other menu screens is nicely laid out and easy to read, with plenty of information on the squads. It shows the Player symbol next to our man in the Leeds starting 11, as well as giving information on the ground, time of day, referee (important for learning whether you have a lenient but stern word giver or a card happy name collector) and also a reminder of game type, min’s per half and weather. This you can go in and change, but the time of day is set, though we did find all our midweek games were the correct time of day around 19:30 and evening, and the weekend games were daytime and around 15:00..

You now have the option to play, controlling the player or the whole team, this makes a difference, as playing as the whole team depends on the stats collated. This means that no single player stats will be registered, and I think is an option to have when your player is injured or not playing..

At the bottom of the screen under your calendar screen giving the next game etc., replacing the manager rating bar and stars, is a small player graphic in running pose, along with a vertical fitness bar. Below is a larger 1/16 rated horizontal blue bar, currently on the near mid point of 5/16, with the text Starting 11 above, this is similar to the manager progress bar as it’s an indication of how well your chosen player is progressing, along with his current standing which, as we chose an existing squad player, is our starting point. There are several levels from Prospect and Reserve to Captain and Club legend, all of which offer unique characteristics and some open other options up to you in the game..

Now I know what you’re thinking - “why’s the rating bar out of 16?”, we did too. Is it the number of players plus the subs? Average months a full bar should take to obtain?
In the end it got the better of us and we had to pose the question to Marcel who with a little puzzlement in his voice replies, “err.. it’s just a number we came up with and it sounds right”!

..Can’t argue with that can you!

The next screen gives you more information on the line-ups, including the subs, along with a scout report on your opposition, giving details on their line up and tactics. This we noticed had a number two in brackets (4-3-3(2)) after it (I’ll come back to that) as well as their last few results and the opposition, along with information on injuries and suspensions and then we’re off to the match..


Game Play/Graphics

A nice little touch here is a “warming up” message instead of the usual “loading” line, then it’s the intro and the players in the tunnel. This all looks great and the commentators and sound are good too - it’s Tyler and Gray giving us information on the teams as they warm up, and we have the Sky style line up screens and formations..

The pitch looks vivid and from the demo at the Emirates we know there are nice varieties now. How good you can get these looking will be down to your TV or monitor and some tweaking. You’ll be glad to hear we ran out from the corner at the Theatre of Dreams. Though the now much commented on 10 v 11 handshake was in there, but these things can be fixed pre-release..

We also have some substitutes shown on the benches. These I’m sad to say are of the same generic static type, along with the same cameramen (sorry persons) and stewards we had in 10. Apart from the bibbed players, all in the same colour tracksuit to match the team strip on the bench, there is little if anything new here..

There are no managers or trainers, nor is there a 4th official. This is my first negative in the day so far, the crowd looks slightly better than FIFA 10, and the ground looks full apart from the odd empty seat dotted about, though I’m still a little sad they did not add more here..

I won’t dwell too long on the game play as this is mainly about the CM, and the game play has been commented on so many times by others in the forums, but I will add that as before we found the AI to be far more aggressive and attacking this time, doing little feints and tricks to beat players as well as holding the ball better. It’s not without its issues though, the Zidane pirouette was used far too often by the CPU and some glitches such as overlapping, and players doing great little moves to beat one player, then running headlong into the next defender..

There was also a concern that some animations still seemed to have a need to complete, regardless of whatever else has occurred, but coming from 10 to this was a big difference for me. No doubt WC players may see less of a leap. On another plus side we did see less bunching, and apart from one kick off I did not run into a fellow team mate that I can recall. Even the referee seemed to stay out of the way far better..

There are some nice touches during the game, such as stats dropping down under the scores, as I believe they did in WC. These are also joined by goal flashes from the other games in your league and cup rounds, which is initially pointed out by the Commentators too, which is nice. You are also greeted with the other scores so far at half and full time where cup games drawn have the penalty results at the side. Also the in-game camera now singles out one of your players and gives some of his individual stats during the substitution loading time, here we were glad to note in the games we played that the substitutions made by the CPU were now more realistic as we saw strikers’ replacing strikers’ etc..

I have to add a rather large bugbear here I’m afraid, As anyone from the football boards will know I’m a Manager Mode fanatic and I along with others have been pestering anyone who would listen to fix the in-game injuries in the mode. This has become somewhat of a mini crusade, and I was somewhat dismayed to find that in all the games we played through we saw no injuries.
We did however see a few come through simming games and the general day-to-day knocks.
These were given via emails from the coach and medical staff, ranging from a few to 123 days. Even here though there were not enough given today’s footballing world, where injuries are commonplace and make the need for good squad depth vital. In desperation we played Injury Prone players such as Owen Hargreaves and spent the whole game mercilessly hacking the legs from under him, this we did for around four games but all to no avail!

For me injuries are a vital part of Manager Mode and should be happening on a regular basis, theses will mostly be minor knocks making players questionable for the next game or a risk to play. Then there will be the ones meaning the player misses one or two games, followed by slightly worse injuries which may also occur from playing players with knocks. These could be anything from a couple of weeks to a few months. After that you will have the rarer severe injuries that can last anywhere from a month to a season and anywhere in between.
None of these dates should be laid in stone ether; a small knock could turn into month on the side lines. And some injuries could heal quickly or turn out to be less severe than first thought. The possibilities are endless and would all add to the immersion of the game..





Part two is on its way...

 

[Lami]

7.9.2010

Forum member Nick Cave's CM preview, Part II

Nick Cave's Career Mode Preview... (Part Two)
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Game Audio

Unfortunately we had no custom crowd audio in the build, and had no time or chance to add any. That said, it did seem an improvement certainly over 10, with the home crowd jeering at their team losing the ball and whistles at fouls or strong challenges. This was also met with cheers and applause when the boot was on the other foot, or a good passage of play was strung together, along with the fantastic sound of the ball rippling the net and pinging off the tension bar, as well as the new solid thud of the ball on the woodwork. It’s a big improvement to my ears over 10. There are the little calls and grunts too, but I’m sure the chance to add your own audio and chants will be a massive plus this time round..



Player Manager / Manager


As most of the options here cross over I’ll cover these together, and here I’ll hold my hand up and say we didn’t play the Player/Manager mode game play, so apart from saying you have the option to control your player as well as the whole team I would again surmise your stats only get recorded against your single player stats when controlling him. We dive in as Manchester United (Phil’s side) and we are into the Manager main screen. This you will have no doubt seen from Marcel’s blog and various other clips - if not, where have you been?..

This lists the usual menu options along with the news and league standings and your next opponent etc. Also we now have the manager ratings and star system back at the foot.
The first thing we spot on here is that our news and information is now given in detail via a Talk Sport option not a Sky Sports one. Apparently this will also be relevant to the national league your choice of team is in too, which will add a little touch of realism..

As time is against us we dive headlong into the two major options on here and start with seeing how the calendar works now. It’s a similar layout as in 10, showing the full month view still and the in/out arrows symbol in the top corner indicating we’re in the transfer window. Friendly, League, Cup and Euro games each have their own symbols and as you highlight the day a breakdown is given in the top right hand corner of the calendar, showing the exact game type or leg, along with opponents and time of day..

Another note here, friendly games are already decided for you though none of ours were against same-league opposition..

You now have the option to go day-by-day or skip days, weeks or even months if you want to. Skipping multiple days is greeted with a warning screen that you will be missing information or messages that may appear on the missed days. We opt to start with just the next day and the rough circle around the current day turns to a cross as the game obviously carries out all the wheeling and dealing of that day..

This means that skipping weeks will take a while to run through as the mass of games and transfers etc, have to be made. You have the option to look back over all the results you skipped and if you do skip days by mistake, or want to, you can stop it at any time.
There is as ever the option to Sim the game on match day too, this is now carried out under a new screen, giving you the two squad line ups and then playing out the match in text to the side, giving you all the game information such as bookings, goals and injuries. This is all automatic but is a nice touch, and as the rest of the gaming world results and tranfers will go on at the same time there are no results generating screens. You also get to see other results and scores from your league in the Sim screen which is a nice touch..

Most information now comes to you via emails from your staff and board, these ranging from recommendations on players ready for first team action, or in need of a rest, to training injuries and recoveries.
The board seem a lot more proactive now and gone is the dreaded bar - they now communicate via mail letting you know how things are going as well as how they see you measuring up. During our spell we were handed a wage and salary increase after getting through a cup round, which seems to point to monetary issues being far more fluid this time round. Budgets it seems can go up and I assume down depending on your performance, there are also menu listings for other clubs, magazines, and players all of which means you will be busy most days checking information, news and reports..

Time to try our luck in the market place, we put a couple of aging but quality players on the list, and loan a young player out. A nice touch on the dealing screen is that you are shown other squad members that can play in the areas within which the player you are buying/selling or loaning does. On the loans system you now have the 3 month or full season options, and the option to end this from either club, though you will incur a penalty, this being the full wage bill of the loan period..

A quick note and a nice touch, existing loans are in the game from the start so hopefully any transfer window activity will be up-to-date when you get your mitts on the game..

My main gripe with the transfers is we are still lumbered with the FIFA 10 way of showing player stats, so you have to scroll through pages to see them all, and worse still we could find no way of putting potential purchases up side by side for comparison (Please take note EA). Before we loaded the FIFA 11 demo we were messing with Creation Centre, and I pointed out how useful the heptagon used in there would be in FIFA, this gives an instant quick reference to a players overall stats..

The main transfer screen gives you all the information you need on either the players you are trying to offload or the future stars you are trying to lure, giving their current deal as well as listing their specialities. You also get a note from the negotiator giving you an insight into whether he feels the club will play ball, or if the player is a starting 11 star and you’ll need to spend Man City amounts to prise him away..

The search option has also had a makeover and the options are now far greater, giving you the chance to pick a main and secondary attribute and, along with the usual options, we now find maximum wage, specialities, and the ability to set the age max and min. You can also search by nationality or the intriguing Scout Picks option. This gives you player/s the Scout thinks would complement your squad and fill gaps in the overall team.
There is now a limit on returned players from your search of fifty, no more page 1 of 49 to troll through, though given the new search options you should be able to fine tune your searches far better..

I think everyone is now aware transfers for contracted players are a two layered affair, and you must get the club to play ball before being given a chance to talk to the player. There is no tap up over a meal in some Soho restaurant option here!
These can be protracted affairs with clubs trying to get the best deal they can, telling you their prized asset is wanted elsewhere and giving you the chance to match or better the offers. They can also just flat refuse you or lose patience with your paltry bids and slam the door on you..

Even when you throw enough money on the table to make them gleefully agree, this is no guarantee the player will play ball. There is no indicator bar here either. You bid and counter bid as you did with the club and await the next email from the negotiator or chief exec. Again you find some players will not want to make the switch or relocate, or they may scoff at the wages you are offering. They may also state their own demands and specify they will only come if they are met - this makes for a far more engaging and involving affair than 10..

Another nice addition is the ability to adjust your transfer kitty to wage budget balance. You can adjust this a total of three times a season, which will come in handy at smaller clubs or to sign those cash hungry Galácticos.
There are also negotiation histories and player contract screens where you can check up on current negotiations and see all your successful (or not as the case may be) attempts, as well as all your players contract details and short listed players. These hopefully will sign if your negotiations go well this time round!

As before in the managers arsenal you have the usual team management options of changing line-ups and creating custom tactics, here (if you recall the bracketed number after the 4-3-3 tactic mentioned earlier) is the new way created tactics are differentiated, so if you have three 4-3-3 style tactics they will have the suffixes (1) to (3) after them. It’s not the naming option we would have liked but it’s a start.
You will also be glad to hear kit numbering is still in, along with growth, though this remains automatic, it is presented nicely..
Here you can also compare your players side by side and, as with the transfer screens, go into further depth to check the players’ stats. These now include traits such as Injury Prone or Injury Free. This is in addition to the specialities such as Complete Defender or Clinical Finisher. There are a total of 30 for each, though the best three are shown as the badges next to the players name and image. A player can have more than this..

As always there are the acheivement trophies that you can obtain througout the game, this now number some 46 and though many are replicated from 10, there are new ones that tie in with the new player traits and specialities..

There are many game menus and screens that the FIFA 10 player will recognise, though all are now laid out far better. The overall effect is to give the player a sense of involvement and the feeling the league is going on around them (as well as the rest of the football world) with the ability to see current standings in other competitions and transfer goings on from other clubs. You also see your dealings appear in the news along with reports on games. This all adds to the immersion that was lacking from previous titles.
As I (and many other gamers) have been pestering the EA boards (and any other staff that would listen) over the past months with, in many cases it’s the small things that can lift a game from the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Touches like the celebrations after winning a trophy, which I’m glad to say we did get to see (though not as good as I would have hoped), all go to making the game more involving, and give that level of immersion that keeps you coming back season after season..

Yes FIFA 11 Career Mode is a step in the right direction, and given it’s new from the ground up, we can also hope it doesn’t suffer from the flaws of FIFA 10.
For the true Manager Mode nut like me it may seem a pretty small step though from what I’ve seen a good one and for the BAP and VP player it’s going to add some good depth - What there is nicely presented, and from the short time I got to spend with Phil and Tom dissecting it, I think most will be more than happy with the new direction of Career Mode and the new features. The layouts are clear and fresh, and the information for the large part is better presented and more intuitive, this along with the new day-to-day system will all go I hope to make a more involving experience...