FIFA 13

[Scutch]

After the last few weeks it is fair to say that the beautiful game is alive, well and "predictably unpredictable". This is a term which Executive Producer David Rutter likes to use and encapsulates the feeling that the team is trying to recreate in FIFA 13. The result is a game that feels more alive and more lifelike. Some of the changes are quite obvious and will take some adjustment, while others are subtle yet effective in creating a more realistic environment.

One of the more noticeable changes initially is the introduction of first touch control. Previous FIFA titles were guilty of each and every player having flawless control regardless of their skill level or how zippy a pass was. First touch control takes a variety of elements into account including the pace of the ball, the positioning of the player and the pace at which they are running to receive the pass to determine what their first touch is like. If you try to take a lobbed pass at full tilt, don’t be surprised to see things go awry, regardless of who is receiving the pass. On the other hand if the pass is hit right, and the player is ready for it, you will have the time and space to launch an attack. What is interesting to see is how the top players in the world can improvise and use bobbles to their advantage. In one match, Aguero took a pass that was spinning a little too much, his touch caused the ball to bounce up, but without hesitation the shoot button was mashed and the ball sailed into the top corner.

So far, FIFA 13 seems to emphasise a more attacking approach and playstyle. Players seem better equipped to read how passing moves will play out. If you pass from the left side of the pitch to the centre, players on the right move to become more available for a pass. The biggest attacking change is a more refined Attacking Intelligence. Forwards identify where the space is or work out how to create space for others. Unlike previous FIFA titles, they don’t keep running until they’re yards offside. Instead, they will attempt to bend their run, adjust their step and strain to stay onside. If caught offside after all that, you really only have yourself to blame. Naturally, this ability will depend on the player in question and their usual tendencies and behaviours.

The game feels more open and quicker paced with more chances than you could shake a big stick at, to paraphrase a classic FIFA quote from Andy Gray. While you must think a little more about passes, players make better runs and through balls seem to have been tweaked. The pass that you want seems to be the pass you actually get more often than not. That’s one bugbear out of the way at least.

Taking notes from FIFA Street, players will be able to dribble with the ball close to their body while facing the goal and the opposition’s defender. The ability to turn their body gives some of the best players in the world the ability to eek out a little bit of space and burst through at full pace. Whether defenders will be able to cope with all of these runs, passing moves and close quarters dribbling remains to be seen. The best form of defence may well be a great offence.

The free kick system has been given an overhaul. Quick free kicks are more dynamic than ever as teammates will kick the ball back to where it is to be played from. This allows for a more free-flowing game and can create golden opportunities if used correctly. The primary alteration for free kicks is the implementation of tactical free kicks. Once again, we’re back to a feature that aims to emulate real life as players can line up dummy runners and have any one of three players either pass or take responsibility for a shot.

The goal of FIFA 13 is to recreate real football moments and it certainly looks likely to do so. The first touch control, complete dribbling system and attacking intelligence combine successfully to simulate the predictable unpredictability of real life football. Players will have to think and take responsibility for what happens on the pitch. But remember it’s not over until the final whistle blows, so keep your focus or you could face the heartbreak of an injury time goal that snatches precious points from your grasp.

http://clickonline.com/games/preview--fifa-13/10191/

 

[Scutch]

Every year the EA Sports team headed up by Executive Producer David Rutter unveils a new FIFA game and every year it’s such a dramatic step forward from the previous year’s release, it leaves its predecessor in the dust. This year continues that trend. At the time of its release, FIFA 12 felt like – and probably was – the pinnacle of the football sim genre. Next to FIFA 13, it feels outdated and unrealistic.

This is down to the fact that FIFA 13’s gameplay has benefited from myriad tucks and tweaks, all aimed at achieving the same overriding objective: to bring FIFA’s on-pitch action ever closer to resembling the real thing. According to Rutter, the guiding principle behind the changes made to FIFA 13 is encapsulated in a quote from Real Madrid manager Jose Mourihno, made at the end of a match that saw Chelsea march into the Champions League final after defeating Barcelona.

“One of the great things about football,” he said, “is that it’s unpredictable.”
“When we heard [Mourihno say] that, we thought ‘Thank God!’”, says Rutter. “It’s pretty much what we’d set out to do with FIFA since last Christmas. We wanted to capture the drama through the unpredictability that is football.

Attacking team AI is much stronger in FIFA 13.
“What we’re talking about are those unexpected moments that get you out of your seat cheering,” he continues. “I’m not talking about random stuff – in video games that’s just irritating. I mean that, in FIFA 13, when things go off script, it happens for a reason. They make sense after the fact – after that moment when you just weren’t expecting them.”
To that end, Rutter and his team have added a couple of features that play on the relationship the beautiful game has with the gods of fate and chance.
The first and most noticeable change from FIFA 12 governs the individual players’ first-touch capabilities. As early as last year, players with a rating as low as 60 could receive a lobbed pass with ease, the ball sticking itself to their feet like their boots were made of felt, and the ball of Velcro. Now authentic ball physics have been tossed into the mix.
“First touch control is the equivalent change to the game that tactical defending was last year,” says Rutter. “We’re calculating the outcome of a pass based on the context of what the ball is doing – whether it’s spinning, what speed it’s travelling at – and what the player is doing – whether he’s running, whether he’s stationary, whether someone’s pushing him and whether he can successfully control the ball at his feet.”
When players are on the receiving end of a lobbed pass, the ball bounces off their head and body, and it’s down to each individual players’ skill level as to whether they’re able to bring the ball under control quickly. Not only does this make long passes a more risky proposition, it makes defending a potential nightmare.
If players have a defender intercepting a long ball with opposing strikers bearing down on them, they’re more advised to punt the ball into the stands rather than try to finesse it to a teammate. Unless the defender in question has the requisite skill level to control the ball, they risk handing a scoring opportunity to the opposing side.
Their defending efforts aren’t helped much by the game’s re-jigged attacking AI, which jettisons the indecisive attitude from yesteryear, and actually makes a concerted effort to stay onside.
“Last year, [players] sometimes didn’t really feel like their entire team was involved in the attacking effort,” says Rutter, “so we’ve done a lot of work with off-the-ball runs with the AI. [It’s able to] to stay onside on attack a lot better and there’s a real feeling that the team is attacking with you. That makes the whole attacking dynamic of the game a lot more enjoyable.”

Players' skills impact the way they're able to control the ball a lot more.
Players also have a lot more control over the ball thanks to the tweaked dribbling mechanic. By holding in both triggers (or R2 and L2 on a PS3) and using the left stick, they can activate FIFA 13’s precision dribbling mechanic, which is built off the back of FIFA Street’s gameplay engine. Each individual players’ overall score is called into account – Christiano Ronaldo is far better at this sort of thing than Kolo Toure – but even at base level the agency provided by the engine is superb.
The new dribbling mechanic opens up a whole new one-on-one player-battle for possession of the ball. Players are better able to fake out opponents and create crossing and scoring opportunities based on their ability to outfox their opponents on a one-to-one basis. This is tempered somewhat by the new impact engine; aside from slide tackles, players can now push and shove opponents off the ball. There’s a new physicality to FIFA 13, that really comes into its own in the game’s set-pieces.
In previous FIFA titles, when players were awarded a free-kick, they’d either try a finesse shot towards one corner of the net or blast towards the goalmouth and hope for the best. FIFA 13’s free-kick set up offers players a whole host of new options. Players now have the choice to have between one and three players fake-taking a kick before the selected player steps up to hammer the free-kick home. This also enables them to pass to players in the attacking set-up, rather than have to commit to a shot on goal.
The new attacking options are counterbalanced by the choices the defending player now has. Apart from being able to add a player to a wall, and move the wall forward, defenders are free to mark threatening players or simply charge the kicker. The whole free-kick scenario has been deepened for both the attacking and defending sides and is all the better for it. Players can even edit their own attacking and defending strategies based around free-kicks.

The Player Impact Engine feels much more realistic this time.
“We have a massive tool in the game that acts as a tactics editor”, says Rutter. “We put it in there a couple of years ago and it turns out that, while it’s fantastically fun to play with, it was probably a bit too hardcore for people. This is why the new tactical free-kicks is there – for more casual players, who want to be able to do this immediately.
“But you can spend a couple of days, probably, figuring out in the editor exactly what you’re going to do with every player on the pitch and how they’ll react in a free-kick scenario.”
Graphically, FIFA 13 is certainly a step forward on its predecessor and its impact engine has been tweaked as well. In FIFA 12, players were often treated to the odd unintentionally hilarious collision animation, which made players fly up in the air as though they’d just trodden on a landmine. FIFA 13’s impact engine makes everything look far more authentic; when a player crashes to the ground, it looks eye-wateringly painful – even if the player in question bounces back to his feet seconds later.
While these changes, when described separately, probably don’t sound like a massive upheaval, on the pitch they translate into a whole new way of playing FIFA 13. Quite frankly, FIFA 12 players are likely to experience teething problems when they manage to get their hands on the game this September. The new first-touch physics require some getting used to, the improved AI adds speed and aggression to attacks and the new free-kick and defend options can prompt small breaks in matches as each player weighs up their options. The only immediate win here is the new dribbling mechanics, as they agency they give to players is an absolute boon.
But if our experience is anything to go by, FIFA 13’s new gameplay is worth getting to grips with. Once players factor in the changes and impact on the pitch action, FIFA 13 plays incredibly well. It feels like the next evolutionary step for EA’s football sim and, as is the case every year, after an hour or so at the new game’s controls, going back to last year’s iteration feels wrong in a way.
Rutter and his team are tight-lipped about any other new content slated for FIFA 13 in the way of modes, DLC or online challenges. For now, though, the most important aspect of their game – the on-pitch action – looks stunning and this should prove a solid foundation to build on. Roll on September…

 

[Scutch]

Last week was a miserable one for Spurs fans as they missed out on Champions League football by virtue of Chelsea winning the same competition – but there’s better news for them on the virtual field, as White Hart Lane is one of the official stadia included in FIFA 13.

Fans of the North London side have clamoured for the stadium’s inclusion for years – and on the back of our first hands-on with EA’s new footy title, OPM can confirm that their prayers have been answered. We even played a match in the stadium (between Chelsea and Man City – Spurs weren’t in this early version of the code) and all its landmarks, like the Jumbotrons at either end, are present and correct.

Another presentation improvement is the ability to set the time at which matches kick-off anywhere from midday to 10pm in the evening, in half hour increments. It’s an improvement on the ‘day’ or ‘night’ settings from previous games, and suggests that FIFA 13 may include a real-time lighting model similar to that found in MLB 12: The Show, where the sky darkens as evening falls. That wasn’t evident in the build we played, but we’ll investigate further during our next hands-on at E3.

 

[mfmaxpower]

Does it? Doesnt seem hugely apparant to me, other then a late in the match boost. I want the Ai to park the bus if they score and are playing a far higher rated team. Or the other way around and that my players can actually keep their positions instead of moving up with every counter. I know you can get them to somewhat execute a park the bus but it still is pretty poor imo. And most of the time doing that wont actually give you a tactical advantage and its easier to juts play how you were.

That's my point: the problem isn't so much the AI reacting to you and the game situation, it's that the tactical system needs a significant upgrade. Not only for the purposes of variety within a single match, but also for variety among different teams, which we've spoken about quite a bit.

You can be sure that the devs are aware that this is an issue for a lot of us - Team Management and the depth of the tactical system - but right now we can only hope it gets an upgrade for 13 and is one of the improvements yet to be announced.

Unfortunately, I could foresee this being one of the areas that we'll need to wait until next gen to see a major upgrade. Hopefully I'm wrong.

 

[Marlon Anthony]

Another presentation improvement is the ability to set the time at which matches kick-off anywhere from midday to 10pm in the evening, in half hour increments. It’s an improvement on the ‘day’ or ‘night’ settings from previous games, and suggests that FIFA 13 may include a real-time lighting model similar to that found in MLB 12: The Show, where the sky darkens as evening falls. That wasn’t evident in the build we played, but we’ll investigate further during our next hands-on at E3.

Damn, i sure hope so, I've wanted this feature in a football game for years, would add that realism and authenticity to those summer tournaments

 

[kouroux]

How much do you wanna bet that this first touch thingy or new dribbling system will still not implement a great differentiation between left and right footed player?
I'm tired to see Robben/Messi control high balls with their right foot

 

[mfmaxpower]

How much do you wanna bet that this first touch thingy or new dribbling system will still not implement a great differentiation between left and right footed player?
I'm tired to see Robben/Messi control high balls with their right foot

Wow, way to rain on the parade of two features that sound like they could be big improvements.

 

[CalcioCalabrese]

The improvements sound good but his point is still valid. I've seen Messi hitting rockets and volleys outside the box with his right foot on FIFA which is not realistic. He can shoot with his right but only from close range. Outside the box he always tries getting back onto his left.

I know the point was about controlling the ball, not shooting, but whatever error and differentiation they try introducing, it neeeds to be relevant to players and not just face value.

 

[Ronaldinho_23]

litle video..don't look more

YouTube - FIFA 13 gameplay footage (Not screenshots)

 

[StuartCulli]

IT LOOKS THE FUCKING SAME OMG I HATE EA FUCK EA DIE DIE DIE EA

 

[kouroux]

The improvements sound good but his point is still valid. I've seen Messi hitting rockets and volleys outside the box with his right foot on FIFA which is not realistic. He can shoot with his right but only from close range. Outside the box he always tries getting back onto his left.

I know the point was about controlling the ball, not shooting, but whatever error and differentiation they try introducing, it neeeds to be relevant to players and not just face value.

Right and left footed player differentiation should be implemented in every aspect of the game.Shooting,passing,trapping,tackling etc ...
It's something that PES which works on lower tech has impressively got spot on.

 

[mfmaxpower]

The improvements sound good but his point is still valid. I've seen Messi hitting rockets and volleys outside the box with his right foot on FIFA which is not realistic. He can shoot with his right but only from close range. Outside the box he always tries getting back onto his left.

I know the point was about controlling the ball, not shooting, but whatever error and differentiation they try introducing, it neeeds to be relevant to players and not just face value.

It most certainly is a valid point but there's only so much that can be improved in a year. Criticizing the new first touch and dribbling features because the game doesn't accurately reflect differences in right/left foot ability is a very "the glass is half empty" perspective.

Besides, I'm not even sure such a feature should be a priority - even though it would make the game more realistic, there are only a very small minority of people out there that this is a major issue for whilst it very well might make things too difficult for most people.

Most football fans likely know that Messi is predominantly left-footed and that Ronaldo is two-footed, but beyond the top players most people have no clue. This could conceivably make things a little too frustrating, especially for casual fans who make up the majority of the market.

Not to mention that, beyond the difficulty of just knowing a player's ability, you then need to be able to correctly time your button presses to ensure the player uses the correct foot.

Altogether, while I personally would like to see this part of the game more accurately represented, I don't think it makes much sense for it to be a priority; I don't see how they could implement it well without making it too difficult for most people. So it'd likely be a lot of work for little reward.

This would be a perfect area of the game for a new gameplay slider though.

 

[fanolato]

It most certainly is a valid point but there's only so much that can be improved in a year. Criticizing the new first touch and dribbling features because the game doesn't accurately reflect differences in right/left foot ability is a very "the glass is half empty" perspective.

Besides, I'm not even sure such a feature should be a priority - even though it would make the game more realistic, there are only a very small minority of people out there that this is a major issue for whilst it very well might make things too difficult for most people.

Most football fans likely know that Messi is predominantly left-footed and that Ronaldo is two-footed, but beyond the top players most people have no clue. This could conceivably make things a little too frustrating, especially for casual fans who make up the majority of the market.

Not to mention that, beyond the difficulty of just knowing a player's ability, you then need to be able to correctly time your button presses to ensure the player uses the correct foot.

Altogether, while I personally would like to see this part of the game more accurately represented, I don't think it makes much sense for it to be a priority; I don't see how they could implement it well without making it too difficult for most people. So it'd likely be a lot of work for little reward.

This would be a perfect area of the game for a new gameplay slider though.

Sigh...

Footedness is essential, specially for tactics. Do you put a right footer on the right to cross it in or do you put him on the left to cut inside? Should I turn around to my left with Pirlo when pressured so that I can quickly send a long pass?....FIFA takes away these kind of thoughts by making footednes unimportant. That is where a lot of immersion for me is killed in CM or online.

 

[Gab_]

If players dribbled with their preferred foot it would lessen the amount of touches that makes current FIFA play so unrealistic when dribbling. It's just too many perfect touches closely stringed together now.

 

[Placebo]

I've seen Messi hitting rockets and volleys outside the box with his right foot on FIFA which is not realistic. He can shoot with his right but only from close range. Outside the box he always tries getting back onto his left.

True but neither of the main football games has ever got that right, one of the most lauded PES goals of all time is Nobby Solano scoring a left footed stunner.


To be honest I've accepted that we're not going to get exactly what we want in terms of proper weak foot simulation, at least 12 has moved forward in a good way in terms of crosses/long balls, it used to be that with someone like Peter Crouch you could hit perfect left foot crosses even when not balanced, now you have to be balanced and think about your passing/crossing, I guess they just refuse to add that layer of simulation to shooting because the kids will whine.

It's something that PES which works on lower tech has impressively got spot on.

That's not completely true though.

 

[Placebo]

Footedness is essential, specially for tactics. Do you put a right footer on the right to cross it in or do you put him on the left to cut inside? Should I turn around to my left with Pirlo when pressured so that I can quickly send a long pass?....FIFA takes away these kind of thoughts by making footednes unimportant. That is where a lot of immersion for me is killed in CM or online.

It doesn't though, or you don't play on all manual, when I play all manual with my sliders, I have to be very careful with my crossing/long passing, even with decent crossers if my balance and timing isn't right they mess up their crosses 7-8 times out of 10.

 

[mfmaxpower]

Sigh...

Footedness is essential, specially for tactics. Do you put a right footer on the right to cross it in or do you put him on the left to cut inside? Should I turn around to my left with Pirlo when pressured so that I can quickly send a long pass?....FIFA takes away these kind of thoughts by making footednes unimportant. That is where a lot of immersion for me is killed in CM or online.

Sigh...

"Footedness" is essential to you. My point is that it's not essential for everyone, and that this is an area of gameplay that likely would make things too difficult for most people if it was that much more an accurate representation of real football.

It's an example of how expecting a true sim is unrealistic nor really desired. Asking people to not only be knowledgable of each player's footedness - both those that you control and the other team - when it pertains to tackling, passing, trapping, shooting, dribbling... it becomes too much.

Again, like I said, I personally would prefer this area to be more relevant. Still, to say that footedness is unimportant in FIFA is not quite accurate, as Placebo said.

Maybe you're playing on a lower difficulty setting, Or maybe you play with assisted settings. Or maybe you're just not playing close enough attention. In any case, again like Placebo said, I've noticed that I am more successful, especially shooting and long passing, when I use a player's best foot.

And it certainly still is relevant for tactics. I've had great success using inverted wingers for shooting purposes whilst I notice that their passing performances tend to be worse when used on their unnatural side, for example.

It might not be as relevant as some of us would like, but it does make a difference.

 

[mfmaxpower]

It's something that PES which works on lower tech has impressively got spot on.

This is pretty big exaggeration. I've scored loads of awesome goals and completed countless amazing through passes using players' weaker feet.

PES might do a better job at making footedness more relevant but it's not perfect, especially for those players outside the top 50 who don't get the same level of individualization.

 

[lancers]

Sounds like 13 is gonna be better than 12 and that is saying something. Looking forward to it.

 

[mfmaxpower]

Yeah, it looks like both games are primed to end this gen on a high note. Can't wait to see what they can accomplish next gen.

 

[kouroux]

It most certainly is a valid point but there's only so much that can be improved in a year. Criticizing the new first touch and dribbling features because the game doesn't accurately reflect differences in right/left foot ability is a very "the glass is half empty" perspective.

Besides, I'm not even sure such a feature should be a priority - even though it would make the game more realistic, there are only a very small minority of people out there that this is a major issue for whilst it very well might make things too difficult for most people.

Most football fans likely know that Messi is predominantly left-footed and that Ronaldo is two-footed, but beyond the top players most people have no clue. This could conceivably make things a little too frustrating, especially for casual fans who make up the majority of the market.

Not to mention that, beyond the difficulty of just knowing a player's ability, you then need to be able to correctly time your button presses to ensure the player uses the correct foot.

Altogether, while I personally would like to see this part of the game more accurately represented, I don't think it makes much sense for it to be a priority; I don't see how they could implement it well without making it too difficult for most people. So it'd likely be a lot of work for little reward.

This would be a perfect area of the game for a new gameplay slider though.

My criticism isn't based on the new aspects of FIFA13.It's the general omission that FIFA adopts regarding such a basic and essential element of football.
When you have not much difference in terms of frequency of use of your strong/weak foot then it takes away a huge part of the football realism.
Something like that should have been implemented long before the new collision engine, the new dribbling methods ,the new ....

True but neither of the main football games has ever got that right, one of the most lauded PES goals of all time is Nobby Solano scoring a left footed stunner.


To be honest I've accepted that we're not going to get exactly what we want in terms of proper weak foot simulation, at least 12 has moved forward in a good way in terms of crosses/long balls, it used to be that with someone like Peter Crouch you could hit perfect left foot crosses even when not balanced, now you have to be balanced and think about your passing/crossing, I guess they just refuse to add that layer of simulation to shooting because the kids will whine.



That's not completely true though.

It may not be completely true but on this particular aspect it's a shame that a game as low tech as PES is more advance than PES.I mean it's such a basic and obvious thing, it doesn't a genius to notice that something is wrong.
You're right about the weak foot being extremely efficient being present in PES, hell even in real life you get to see players score impressive goals with their weak foot.However the use of weak foot in real is really limited to shooting and passing (with at best long passing), you don't see players carrying the ball with their left foot when they're right footed or vice-versa.
It's a shame that any new and promising addition by EA will by default look flawed when you have no clear difference between a right and left footed player

 

[Jamezinho]

My criticism isn't based on the new aspects of FIFA13.It's the general omission that FIFA adopts regarding such a basic and essential element of football.
When you have not much difference in terms of frequency of use of your strong/weak foot then it takes away a huge part of the football realism.
Something like that should have been implemented long before the new collision engine, the new dribbling methods ,the new ....

Agreed, but then that's the FIFA way. EA Sports look to add new features which have an instant, visual impact rather than add subtle elements of realism which will quite likely go unnoticed by the casual majority. Every year it's about buzz-words that can be splashed on the back of the box to grab people's attention. "Players now use their preferred foot" (or "Preferred Foot Pro +™" as it would be called) isn't that catchy.

Like I've always said, FIFA is skewed towards a visual representation of football whereby as long as the game broadly looks (and sounds) like it does on TV, that's the desired effect.

 

[mfmaxpower]

My criticism isn't based on the new aspects of FIFA13.It's the general omission that FIFA adopts regarding such a basic and essential element of football.
When you have not much difference in terms of frequency of use of your strong/weak foot then it takes away a huge part of the football realism.
Something like that should have been implemented long before the new collision engine, the new dribbling methods ,the new ....




It may not be completely true but on this particular aspect it's a shame that a game as low tech as PES is more advance than PES.I mean it's such a basic and obvious thing, it doesn't a genius to notice that something is wrong.
You're right about the weak foot being extremely efficient being present in PES, hell even in real life you get to see players score impressive goals with their weak foot.However the use of weak foot in real is really limited to shooting and passing (with at best long passing), you don't see players carrying the ball with their left foot when they're right footed or vice-versa.
It's a shame that any new and promising addition by EA will by default look flawed when you have no clear difference between a right and left footed player

Fair enough. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on where "footedness" should rank among EA's priorities.

Like I said, I'd like to see this become more relevant in FIFA, so that when playing with a right footed or left footed player, you can actually feel it, but as it is right now, it doesn't detract from the experience no where near as much as some other things, like say player motion physics (lack of momentum), or everyone having the same perfect first touch, or a poor AI.

For what it's worth, the gamechangers did have this in our top ten priority list for FIFA 13, if I remember correctly, though it was in the bottom half. So you're not alone in hoping this area gets improved. And hey, maybe it's something that'll get a little tweaking before release.

Hopefully next gen this will be an area that will see an upgrade but I'm fine with what they've chosen to upgrade for 13 instead of footedness. For me, the AI, first touch, and dribbling are more important.

That's fine if you think footedness should rank higher than any of those but, like I said, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

[mfmaxpower]

Agreed, but then that's the FIFA way. EA Sports look to add new features which have an instant, visual impact rather than add subtle elements of realism which will quite likely go unnoticed by the casual majority. Every year it's about buzz-words that can be splashed on the back of the box to grab people's attention. "Players now use their preferred foot" (or "Preferred Foot Pro +™" as it would be called) isn't that catchy.

Like I've always said, FIFA is skewed towards a visual representation of football whereby as long as the game broadly looks (and sounds) like it does on TV, that's the desired effect.

That's a bit unfair - please point to me a single game out there that doesn't try to make an immediate, big impact with its new features.

And yes, every year it's about buzz-words - but how do you suggest they go about marketing the annual improvements? Should they not mention by name the Impact Engine, or 360 dribbling, or first touch control, etc.?

And saying that FIFA is skewed towards a visual representation of the game might have been a fair criticism at the beginning of this gen cycle, but that's unfair to what it's become now, what the devs try to do each year, and the directional shift FIFA has taken.

Go ahead and explain how any of the five big improvements for 13 are visual improvements rather than addressing fundmental gameplay issues. The AI? The dribbling? The first touch? Free kicks? The Impact Engine?

(Okay, you might have a case for the last one but four out of five isn't bad.)

Oh, and the further these games get to looking and sounding like a real match on TV, that's a good thing, not a bad one.

 

[fanolato]

It doesn't though, or you don't play on all manual, when I play all manual with my sliders, I have to be very careful with my crossing/long passing, even with decent crossers if my balance and timing isn't right they mess up their crosses 7-8 times out of 10.

I actually do play with your sliders, and I play manual, and I still don't find myself wondering what my new signing's stronger foot is often enough.

It's just an aspect of the game I particularly think needs to be looked at, it's something on which a lot of the simulation aspects can be built on. Not gamebreaking, because it does matter a bit, specially since I placed your sliders, just not as heavily as I think it should.


@MFMax

That's the problem, the whole "it's too difficult for the casuals to remember X or Y". Casuals mostly play with the big teams, and they will know that Messi, Walcott or Robben are one sided and they will remember on their next play to attempt to play to their better foot.

I might agree on your solution for a slider for it, I don't particularly play online often, so as long as I can edit it for my CM, it would be nice.


Also, I believe it's been mentioned, but the PES tactics should just be copied over. I really do enjoy that about PES, and I feel a more immediate and relevant impact from using them than I do in FIFA. It's also easier and it does not have a limit.

 

[Lami]

They're probably afraid if proper weak foot is implemented, gamers would start screaming shooting and passing are broken. To many gamers this is another game, not a football game where it has to mimic the real life version. They're playing it like it's an action game or whatever.

 

[nerf]

Weak foot ability is reasonably well represented, certainly much more in 12 than it has been in the past. When the data is accurate, that is.

Weak foot frequency isn't really represented at all. It shouldn't be a matter of requiring prior knowledge of what a player's favoured foot is; it should be made immediately obvious in the manner that they receive and dribble the ball.

On a slightly different topic, here's a video of NHL 13 in which they demonstrate this year's changes in momentum and first step.

YouTube - NHL 13 Gameplay Producer Explains Explosiveness

 

[BobbyBox]

Me and a friend choose different teams all of the time on Fifa, I play on Manual and he on Assisted. But every new team I use and are not that familiar of the players, I look at my attacking players prefered foot.

I think it makes a big difference with finishing and crossing and If you know your players prefered foot, then it is definately an advantage. My friend doesn't really look at this and he shoots and fluffs lots of shots, just because he doesn't position the player correctly to use the preferred foot.

But I do agree it could be much better passing wise and I don't really pay much attention to preferred footedness with defensive minded players, which I should do and it should make a difference.

So it can be improved alot, but it is at least implemented quite effectively attacking wise (Shooting and Crossing) but like everything can be improved alot.

I hope they have more sliders this year especially with things like their new first touch/control thing. Then we can make it is good as possible.

The news I am waiting for, are what sliders they will have and how Manager mode will be

 

[CalcioCalabrese]

For the first time in a few months I played my usual few games against 2 other mates. We take it in turns playing against each other in 1 v 1. I would classify them as typical FIFA players.

I changed the slider settings and after 2 mins I noticed how many attacking options were created by the fullbacks now overlapping. They acknowledged it but didn't really give it the credit it deserved. Shot error on 53 meant they couldn't hit shots from anywhere, with players off balance or on their wrong foot etc because the shots would miss. Mind you, only just wide etc.

After 1 game, one of them proclaimed he hated whatever I changed. So I put the shot error back to 50. Next game, he was up 3-1 in the first half and scoring his usual tap ins and deflections but said he still hated the gameplay.

They only play on FAST game speed so the game is just end to end hectic with people just charging through each other. They would not budge on the game speed. A few absolute crackers were scored (mainly because of the increased shot speed to 51) but yet he didn't like the gameplay.

They only use 2 teams, stacked with all the best players from the game (i.e. transferred out of other clubs). We've played together since FIFA 06 and they basically still play the same way, just scoring the same methodical goals over and over.

So whoever thinks the FIFA crowd is after simulation should take another look in the mirror. These 2 guys I described are the target audience LOL.

 

[kouroux]

Weak foot ability is reasonably well represented, certainly much more in 12 than it has been in the past. When the data is accurate, that is.

Weak foot frequency isn't really represented at all. It shouldn't be a matter of requiring prior knowledge of what a player's favoured foot is; it should be made immediately obvious in the manner that they receive and dribble the ball.

On a slightly different topic, here's a video of NHL 13 in which they demonstrate this year's changes in momentum and first step.

Yeah just like one would naturally differentiate between right and left footed players he'd see for the first time in TV.It should be automatic without remembering who is right and left footed off by heart.
The RS dribble stick would have to be adapted to it, I mean Messi doing the flip flap with his right foot makes my eyes bleed