FIFA (All Versions) Career Mode Stories

[Emroth]

I have just played another two games. My biggest issue at the moment, apart from obvious ones, is defending. I really cant get my head around it. I cant seems to be able to perform an effective standing tackle. In Pes17 I press the button and I can see and "feel" my player stepping in. Bang - either I get the ball or AI gets a free kick. In here its all so.... soft. Sometimes I dont even know if my player is tackling or not. Unless i literally run through the defender i rarely take the ball away.
Am I missing something there, or lack of physicality is affecting defending so much?

 

[rockstrongo]

@Emroth man vs man defending is so under powered in this game Vs playing Pes 17.
I've always said 17s defending is the best I've played.
I defend the same way though,but yes it's "soft".
Probably down to physicality,or lack of it...

 

[Chris Davies]

For once, I disagree with you guys (@rockstrongo, @Emroth)!

Defending on PES for me is way too simple. Hold pressure and you win the ball. That's it... You can double-press to "force" an "extra" tackle, but I've never known it be necessary to win the ball. It's far too comfortable.

On FIFA (using "tactical defending" controls), it's not just "hold X to regain the ball". It's about positioning, timing, and then you have a separate button to commit to a tackle. There's much more of a risk in pressing too much, because a good player will skin you easily.

"Classic" defending or whatever they call it is the "hold X" method and is cheating IMO (we call every other assist cheating, but this one we don't)!

That being said, I do think it's probably TOO in favour of the attacker. But I wouldn't say it's as imbalanced as people say.

 

[Emroth]

For once, I disagree with you guys (@rockstrongo, @Emroth)!

Defending on PES for me is way too simple. Hold pressure and you win the ball. That's it... You can double-press to "force" an "extra" tackle, but I've never known it be necessary to win the ball. It's far too comfortable.

On FIFA (using "tactical defending" controls), it's not just "hold X to regain the ball". It's about positioning, timing, and then you have a separate button to commit to a tackle. There's much more of a risk in pressing too much, because a good player will skin you easily.

"Classic" defending or whatever they call it is the "hold X" method and is cheating IMO (we call every other assist cheating, but this one we don't)!

That being said, I do think it's probably TOO in favour of the attacker. But I wouldn't say it's as imbalanced as people say.

See, my issue is not difficulty or complexity of defending. I really liked tactical defending on fifa18. To me it was one of the best defensive mechanisms ever implemented. It was effective and rewarding.

But in 19, due to faster pace, player response and nerfed physicality, I literally feel like im trying to catch a fly.
They are really fast in turning and changing directions. And it takes time to load a power of tackles. Tactical defending is very ineffective comparing to fifa18.
Even jockeying, that supposed to increase your range and give you more balance and cover more ground doesnt seems to be doing anything. They just fly by me every time.

 

[rockstrongo]

@Chris Davies im with you on Tactical (i Play Legacy and its not good)
I still Feeling that Pes 17 is good when it comes to defending,having physicality,which is lacking here,making LEG defending pretty bad.
I played tactical on FIFA 16,and it was good,but the movement of players then (cpu) and somewhat now,it makes it a very unpredictable method.

 

[rockstrongo]

Last game first season,Juventus in the cup final!
Even though Juves goalkeeper punched through my stomach,I won that game and the cup.

First game season two,also Juventus.
This time the super cup!
Brilliant game,Juventus had three shots in the crossbar,and me hitting the post twice.
The game went to extra time and Hiljemark scored the 2-1 game winner in the 118th minute!
Brilliant win
Best of all ,game play on my original sliders were back.
Played extremely well,and I knew it was down to something else besides them.
Good old cheating

Here's my 1-1 goal.
Pretty good ey?

 

[Emroth]

This fucking Fifa, lads...
I have so much more control in Pes... when im defending, when im dribbling, even when im passing.
Sometimes in Fifa I feel more like a spectator than the one controlling players!

..Yet I keep coming back to it!
It's really, really enjoyable in some strange, frustrating way.

The whole package, with replays, presentation, flow of the matches, commentary - its all really.. addicting.

8th place in the league. Some wins, some losses, one draw. Putting shot error higher was a good choice, results are now much more acceptable.

Just pity I might not experience full package of spanish La Liga, with all the stadiums, hence I started in D2. Not sure if ill ever get promoted on Ultimate.

 

[Chris Davies]

This fucking Fifa, lads...
I have so much more control in Pes... when im defending, when im dribbling, even when im passing.
Sometimes in Fifa I feel more like a spectator than the one controlling players!

..Yet I keep coming back to it!
It's really, really enjoyable in some strange, frustrating way.

The whole package, with replays, presentation, flow of the matches, commentary - its all really.. addicting.

8th place in the league. Some wins, some losses, one draw. Putting shot error higher was a good choice, results are now much more acceptable.

Just pity I might not experience full package of spanish La Liga, with all the stadiums, hence I started in D2. Not sure if ill ever get promoted on Ultimate.

For me, the biggie is - watching Match of the Day last night, I think all of those goals could be scored in FIFA - but very few of them could be scored in PES, they just wouldn't be "allowed". (In-fact, I thought Moura's goals looked very similar to some I've scored recently - there was a replay behind the goal showing how the keeper just didn't react quickly enough, and it was eerie.)

But it's more than just the striking of the ball - United v West Ham was a game of "who can give the ball away the most", both teams misplacing really simple passes. I see that recreated in FIFA often - the same with defenders bunching together a leaving a man free on the post (like one of West Ham's goals).

And Southampton v Wolves, the way Redmond just blazed through the box last-second and there was nothing the centre-back could do (he was looking all around to try and predict where he'd go but couldn't) - that representation of pace (when you've got the balance right) and the best free-roam players moving around like a ghost... Versus how little control you have as a defender in that situation...

For me, this represents real football more than any other football game I've ever played. Even tactically, I've been struggling for weeks on 4-4-1-1 to use my best players, but the AI have started playing deep all the time, and I've had to switch to 4-4-2 to stand any chance in the final third.

That doesn't mean it's the best game ever, or even that it's fun - but in terms of recreating the Premier League, at least, I'm always finding myself shocked when watching Match of the Day at how close it is.

 

[Emroth]

That doesn't mean it's the best game ever, or even that it's fun - but in terms of recreating the Premier League, at least, I'm always finding myself shocked when watching Match of the Day at how close it is

But it is fun.
Even tho im pissed of for half of the match, it is enjoyable in a weird way.
Just need to familiarise myself with all the special/hidden controls, coz I remember from Fifa18 that this game has much more layers than Pes. Triggering player runs, few different types of passing, first touch, dribbling. F18 was much deeper than it looked, so im sure 19 is the same.

And you are right - it does resembles what we see on telly. Apart from fouls, obviously.

Im starting to notice all the things you said in the past. How Im forced to change tactics, how teams change their style, depending or whether they play home/away or whether they are winning/losing.

I have to admit, that Ultimate is one of the most "human" and balanced difficulties I played on. I see how it might be bit too easy for some, but fortunately i am far away from being a fantastic player, so for me its just right. Sharp enough to keep me on my toes and make me sweat, "easy" enough not to make it feel cheated and unplayable, like Pes19.

I have spent 90% of my budget on a 5 star youth scout. Wasnt planning on buying any players anyway. But I'll have Youth Academy like god damn Ajax!

 

[Chris Davies]

I've played at least 150 games of this now and I've never seen a goal like this (not in 19 anyway)...

Playing an international friendly - Turkey offered me the job a while ago and I thought it'd be a bit different! Now I preface this by saying I really hate the gameplay in internationals - it's much faster, much more tiki-taka and every shot on target from the AI is a goal. I don't understand why, but it's blatantly a different game. In future, I might dial down the difficulty from Ultimate, just for internationals.

The physics seem entirely different - which is why I think this happens...


It made it 3-3 and I was dancing, but I don't think I've ever had a 3-3 in a league game. @rockstrongo it reminds me of your experience. I wonder what the cause is?

But isn't it a weird goal? I actually think it's pretty great to see, but also, probably a bit too weird to be realistic... I think?

 

[Matt10]

I've played at least 150 games of this now and I've never seen a goal like this (not in 19 anyway)...

Playing an international friendly - Turkey offered me the job a while ago and I thought it'd be a bit different! Now I preface this by saying I really hate the gameplay in internationals - it's much faster, much more tiki-taka and every shot on target from the AI is a goal. I don't understand why, but it's blatantly a different game. In future, I might dial down the difficulty from Ultimate, just for internationals.

The physics seem entirely different - which is why I think this happens...


It made it 3-3 and I was dancing, but I don't think I've ever had a 3-3 in a league game. @rockstrongo it reminds me of your experience. I wonder what the cause is?

But isn't it a weird goal? I actually think it's pretty great to see, but also, probably a bit too weird to be realistic... I think?

Is your shot error pretty high?

I've seen some gorgeous animations in shooting with higher shot error, paired up with some other values.

 

[rockstrongo]

I've played at least 150 games of this now and I've never seen a goal like this (not in 19 anyway)...

Playing an international friendly - Turkey offered me the job a while ago and I thought it'd be a bit different! Now I preface this by saying I really hate the gameplay in internationals - it's much faster, much more tiki-taka and every shot on target from the AI is a goal. I don't understand why, but it's blatantly a different game. In future, I might dial down the difficulty from Ultimate, just for internationals.

The physics seem entirely different - which is why I think this happens...


It made it 3-3 and I was dancing, but I don't think I've ever had a 3-3 in a league game. @rockstrongo it reminds me of your experience. I wonder what the cause is?

But isn't it a weird goal? I actually think it's pretty great to see, but also, probably a bit too weird to be realistic... I think?

Love those strange goals.

Yeah I wonder why,I think just like any other game in this genre,it's story driven,it needs to keep things a certain way at certain points.

Give us ten years and I'll bet you that the "big corporations" (ie City/Real etc) demands to be unbeaten in video games too

 

[Emroth]

I was reading fifa16 thread and looking at the amazing job of the boys there.
And one thing popped into my head.
They said AI became more aware and more reluctant to tiki-taka the ball when they applied "selfish" trait to them.

That got me thinking. Would be really cool if football games had "negative" traits as well.
Like "diving", or "rage"... or "drama queen"..
If we could see players making revenge-rage tackles after losing the ball, or would roll around the pitch like Neymar.

But i suppose football stars would go ballistic if they made them like this.

Ps. Sorry for off topic.

 

[Ciais]

Hey Emroth,

Thank you! Yes, there are negative traits, although in FIFA 16 not as many -- don't know about later titles

Diver is in there (which I also applied to everyone), as is Argues with Officials (although this last one seemingly only affects cutscenes after a booking)

Cheers

EDIT: These and many other traits are hidden -- you can't see them ingame, but they are present and editable when opening the DB with a third-party editor

 

[Chris Davies]

Is your shot error pretty high?

I've seen some gorgeous animations in shooting with higher shot error, paired up with some other values.

It's 50 for me because I use semi shooting, and 56 for the AI because of how Ultimate AI works (even on 60 the AI hits every shot on target in the international games, it's insane).

That got me thinking. Would be really cool if football games had "negative" traits as well.
Like "diving", or "rage"... or "drama queen"..

Some things you can't do, for legal reasons. The guys behind Football Manager have spoken about this in the past, but they give regens (players and staff) certain traits that licensed players can't have.

There's stuff to do with diving, arguing with officials, getting the crowd going, diving into tackles, shirking tackles... Even less dramatic stuff, e.g. "likes to play out of trouble". There's a list of the current ones here.

FIFA does have quite a few traits, and a lot that are AI-only. The more the merrier, though!

FIFA also can't show referees or linesmen getting decisions wrong due to representing FIFA. Whereas in NHL, you can start fist-fights...

EDIT: @Ciais got there first... Sort of...

 

[rockstrongo]

Would be a great idea
Agents and cry baby footballers would probably go through the roof...

Second season and I'm looking at a move to Spain,if not this season then next.

My manager rating is up to 83 (from a 87 drop down to 76)
I fulfilled every objective last season except "EL last 32"

But "raised the value of the club by 75% within three seasons,in one!

Make the "last 32 of Italian cup" I
won the cup!

"Transfer/salary fund at €7 mil"
Did that to!

"Sell out 75% of home games"
Done that to.

Still I dropped to 76...

But got a boost by fulfilling a goal straight away.
Sign a star player (made him crucial to my squad..easy!)
The rest are these ones.
€75 million margin!
EL spot in the league!
EL QTR finish!
I've only signed two players (73&75 ovr)
8 players left (loan returns)
Loaned out 4 youngsters
Sold three aging players

So pretty ok goals I'd say.
Won my first league game Vs Bologna!
Now Juventus at home for my second one

 

[rockstrongo]

Didn't have time to finish my game Vs Juventus ,wife and shoping/cooking in the way.

Anyway,when posting my sliders or reading someone else's.
One thing to remember,game length!
Played Vs Bologna and Juventus (60min) and the difference between 10 and 15 minutes ,and how the CPU plays,like night and day!
10 min with 37 pass speed makes the CPU very direct.
While 15 min on the same pass speed makes the game very enjoyable!

So @Emroth if you find your game a bit to fast from the CPU,might look in to that
I know @Chris Davies plays shorter games than 15 min.
Maybe check with him if your having issues.

@Chris Davies I think that's why I can't go under 35 in pass speed on 15,it makes the cpu too passive!

Though I should play 10 min (also play 2k 24h a day..)
I can't really enjoy this set on anything but 15.
Just a pointer

 

[Emroth]

Didn't have time to finish my game Vs Juventus ,wife and shoping/cooking in the way.

Anyway,when posting my sliders or reading someone else's.
One thing to remember,game length!
Played Vs Bologna and Juventus (60min) and the difference between 10 and 15 minutes ,and how the CPU plays,like night and day!
10 min with 37 pass speed makes the CPU very direct.
While 15 min on the same pass speed makes the game very enjoyable!

So @Emroth if you find your game a bit to fast from the CPU,might look in to that
I know @Chris Davies plays shorter games than 15 min.
Maybe check with him if your having issues.

@Chris Davies I think that's why I can't go under 35 in pass speed on 15,it makes the cpu too passive!

Though I should play 10 min (also play 2k 24h a day..)
I can't really enjoy this set on anything but 15.
Just a pointer

I dont know.. might look into that if it becomes an issue, but so far so good. Whatever pass speed you recommended - thats what I have. It could be little bit less direct, but i thought its a result of general pace of the game and hectic players.

The good thing about Ultimate is that AI doesnt ping pong. They seems to think about their next move, so its not that annoying.

Wonder what pass speed Chris has and how does he finds it.

Ps. Just squeezed one more game in and won 0-2 away. So very solid start. Im starting to have a bit more faith into promotion to D1 one day..

 

[rockstrongo]

I dont know.. might look into that if it becomes an issue, but so far so good. Whatever pass speed you recommended - thats what I have. It could be little bit less direct, but i thought its a result of general pace of the game and hectic players.

The good thing about Ultimate is that AI doesnt ping pong. They seems to think about their next move, so its not that annoying.

Wonder what pass speed Chris has and how does he finds it.

Ps. Just squeezed one more game in and won 0-2 away. So very solid start. Im starting to have a bit more faith into promotion to D1 one day..

Good to hear!
I'm just comparing how it plays on 15 Vs 10 min.
Chrissy boy plays way lower I guess.
My first set was 20/18
That set @Krebstar s played great,but it got quite passive after a while.

I really should play 10 min,though I think 15 is better,it's down to time and not having it!

You're in Spain I guess?
I'm looking for a Betis/Rayo Vallecano/Valencia gig

 

[Emroth]

You're in Spain I guess?
I'm looking for a Betis/Rayo Vallecano/Valencia gig

Yeah, D2 in Spain. Was going to go somewhere else, but I thought that you're in Italy, Chris in England, so I might as well go Spain. And I really want to see full La Liga package!

Bundesliga was tempting with 3 divisions there, but I dont think they have many stadiums.
The three teams you mentioned are all fun to play. Used to be in my top pics in previous Pes games, along with Sevilla.
I dont know why Im so obsessed with Mallorca, bit of nostalgia there probably, plus I would like to finally win something with them, since I played them in Pes17,18 and 19, editing team just to have them.
...and I like their kits, and we all know kits are most important.

Oh, and they are crap, so there is no big expectations from the boss.
Objective 1 - try not to damage shoes or lose balls, coz we cant afford new ones
Objective 2 - try not to annoy supporters, so they dont burn down the stadium

 

[rockstrongo]

Yeah, D2 in Spain. Was going to go somewhere else, but I thought that you're in Italy, Chris in England, so I might as well go Spain. And I really want to see full La Liga package!

Bundesliga was tempting with 3 divisions there, but I dont think they have many stadiums.
The three teams you mentioned are all fun to play. Used to be in my top pics in previous Pes games, along with Sevilla.
I dont know why Im so obsessed with Mallorca, bit of nostalgia there probably, plus I would like to finally win something with them, since I played them in Pes17,18 and 19, editing team just to have them.
...and I like their kits, and we all know kits are most important.

Oh, and they are crap, so there is no big expectations from the boss.
Objective 1 - try not to damage shoes or lose balls, coz we cant afford new ones
Objective 2 - try not to annoy supporters, so they dont burn down the stadium

Naah,they're a bit more laid back in Spain,they won't burn down your ground

Palma is one of my favourite cities in Europe I've been there quite a lot.
Both as a 20 year old being pissed for two weeks ,and as an adult.
Lovely island!

Always had a thing for Betis,great passion etc.
Also saw the Sevilla derby last night,pretty insane game.
So I'm off to Spain ,next season that is!

 

[geeeeee]

September goals from my Wigan career..


The first 3 games are on WC and the last 2 are on Ultimate.

Struggling still if i am honest. Struggling to be creative but maybe it is my team rather than myself. I hardly get more than 4 passes together in the opposition half and when they get the ball they pass it around quite easily. Still not sure what is the best way to play this game. I find assisted and semi passing too restrictive but manual is hard sometimes but rewarding. Also in the last game the CPU had about 5 or 6 shots against the woodwork. The first time it happened i was like woaah but then it got a bit silly. Didnt happen so much on WC.

 

[Peter Withe]

Top of the league in January! Best defence in the EFL Championship too.

Just played a second string side away at Burnley in FA Cup third round. 2-1 up, 93rd minute and my reserve GK goes to punch a cross and completely misses it for the Burnley striker to head into an empty net!

I nearly cried.

Replay is not why I needed, the league is far more important this season.

 

[rockstrongo]

Top of the league in January! Best defence in the EFL Championship too.

Just played a second string side away at Burnley in FA Cup third round. 2-1 up, 93rd minute and my reserve GK goes to punch a cross and completely misses it for the Burnley striker to head into an empty net!

I nearly cried.

Replay is not why I needed, the league is far more important this season.

Rough for you buddy.
But in the end, lovely that stuff like that happens

 

[rockstrongo]

September goals from my Wigan career..


The first 3 games are on WC and the last 2 are on Ultimate.

Struggling still if i am honest. Struggling to be creative but maybe it is my team rather than myself. I hardly get more than 4 passes together in the opposition half and when they get the ball they pass it around quite easily. Still not sure what is the best way to play this game. I find assisted and semi passing too restrictive but manual is hard sometimes but rewarding. Also in the last game the CPU had about 5 or 6 shots against the woodwork. The first time it happened i was like woaah but then it got a bit silly. Didnt happen so much on WC.

Could be down to shooting accuracy (post+crossbar)
Juventus had three in the woodwork,and me hit it twice!
Remember it being an issue in 18 at certain values.

 

[geeeeee]

Could be down to shooting accuracy (post+crossbar)
Juventus had three in the woodwork,and me hit it twice!
Remember it being an issue in 18 at certain values.

That was what I was thinking but I am using the same as I was before when I was playing on WC and it didnt happen as much then.

Just played another game against Swansea and I decided to reduce the CPU Acceleration and Top Speed by 1 as the CPU is consistently getting to the ball before me by moving in front of my attacker when I pass directly to him. That reduction has helped and it also increased my passing accuracy so that it was in the 70’s. That’s the highest i have had in this career.

I hope I have not made it too much easier though. Maybe just reducing Acceleration or Top Speed by 1 rather than both, what do you think?

Game finished 0-0 which is my first 0-0. Also, Swansea didnt hit the woodwork once.

I really hope they change my team mate AI as they are not that intelligent. There was one time when the ball broke to me in the Swansea half. They had a high line and I was about to play my striker in for a run on goal because there was so much space on the left. As I was about to play it he ran back. And there are the times when the players sometimes just look at the ball and dont move towards it. It would be good if they could improve that.

Other than that I am still enjoying it.

 

[Peter Withe]

Beat Burnley in the replay.

Then a few fixtures later and an FA Cup thriller at Anfield. If you remember, Liverpool knocked us out of the Carabao Cup so I wanted revenge. Liverpool go 1-0 up in five minutes because Tyrone Mings decides to pass it to Firmino.

But we get our act together and score a scruffy equaliser just before HT.

Then, in the last seconds - around 94 mins on the clock, with his first touch, my reserve striker Davies finishes a nice move. 2-1, and we’ve done it! Won the fourth round FA Cup tie away at Anfield!

Here’s my league table:

 

[Emroth]

Just played another game against Swansea and I decided to reduce the CPU Acceleration and Top Speed by 1 as the CPU is consistently getting to the ball before me by moving in front of my attacker when I pass directly to him

Im far from good player and I had same issue. I was reading a bit about it.
My tactics - fast build up was part of the problem. My players were moving forward too fast.
Another little fix was R2 button that calls your team mates to get a bit closer to you.

Im finding passing generaly weird on Fifa. The fact that you need to hold direction to the very last moment to determine where to pass, influence the receiver. Coz im still holding direction towards him when Im kicking the ball, so when it switches to receiver he moves away from the ball for split second. That gives AI opportunity to jump ahead.

 

[rockstrongo]

That was what I was thinking but I am using the same as I was before when I was playing on WC and it didnt happen as much then.

Just played another game against Swansea and I decided to reduce the CPU Acceleration and Top Speed by 1 as the CPU is consistently getting to the ball before me by moving in front of my attacker when I pass directly to him. That reduction has helped and it also increased my passing accuracy so that it was in the 70’s. That’s the highest i have had in this career.

I hope I have not made it too much easier though. Maybe just reducing Acceleration or Top Speed by 1 rather than both, what do you think?

Game finished 0-0 which is my first 0-0. Also, Swansea didnt hit the woodwork once.

I really hope they change my team mate AI as they are not that intelligent. There was one time when the ball broke to me in the Swansea half. They had a high line and I was about to play my striker in for a run on goal because there was so much space on the left. As I was about to play it he ran back. And there are the times when the players sometimes just look at the ball and dont move towards it. It would be good if they could improve that.

Other than that I am still enjoying it.

Changing speed and acceleration will probably make the game to easy,but I know that on 18 @Matt10 and his pals over at OS had a big discrepancy in those sliders.
Can't really recall exact numbers.
But they gave the CPU a boost in acceleration.
Example 36/40
Try to fiddle with just the acceleration one up for you or one up for the CPU.
Hopefully Matt can give you better advice on it!

 

[geeeeee]

Im far from good player and I had same issue. I was reading a bit about it.
My tactics - fast build up was part of the problem. My players were moving forward too fast.
Another little fix was R2 button that calls your team mates to get a bit closer to you.

Im finding passing generaly weird on Fifa. The fact that you need to hold direction to the very last moment to determine where to pass, influence the receiver. Coz im still holding direction towards him when Im kicking the ball, so when it switches to receiver he moves away from the ball for split second. That gives AI opportunity to jump ahead.

Thanks for the tips. I actually play Balance Build Up. But yes i think tactics play a part. Definitely the slight reduction in speed for cpu has helped.

Another thing that is slightly annoying is when i press the button a couple of times to win the ball back but then the cpu give it away but then the second press of the button is ‘still active’ and my player kicks it by mistake. I think that has always been a problem in fifa but in pes that last cancels.

Changing speed and acceleration will probably make the game to easy,but I know that on 18 @Matt10 and his pals over at OS had a big discrepancy in those sliders.
Can't really recall exact numbers.
But they gave the CPU a boost in acceleration.
Example 36/40
Try to fiddle with just the acceleration one up for you or one up for the CPU.
Hopefully Matt can give you better advice on it!

Thanks for the info Rock. I wouldnt go that high with the difference in accleration but just a bit at a time.

I just realised that this is off topic sorry guys.