FIFA 15 Demo Available Now on Xbox One, 360, PC, PS3, PS4

[BL8001]

Quote: Originally Posted by KG

What level was that on? I noticed some atrocious defending/keeping when I first booted the game but then saw it was on Semi-Pro. I agree with your overall impressions regarding defending although I'd like to fool around with the new tactics to see if that helps at all. Every year EA gives us this short demo after touting AI improvements so it's hard to really tell at times because the game is so short. I have seen the time-wasting but also the dreaded "passing-the-ball around the box" syndrome that used to plague some of the older games in this series.

It's on Pro with no slider adustments.

I get what EA is doing here but I don't at all agree with the decision. In previous FIFA's the CPU attack has been woeful. So they are giving the CPU some teeth in attack this year. But only by making your defenders complete fools.

One simple tenant of sound football defending is to stay goal side of the ball. Barring all else, you can at least be a meat wall that forces the attacker to go around you. No matter what team I use in the demo, they ignore staying goal side and to exacerbate this wrong doing they even tend to drift farther the wrong direction. If the defender does in fact approach the attacking threat they will wander around them towards the non-threatening side of attack.

Basic defending
1. You stop or slow forward progress
2. If you can't stop forward progress you must then try to shepherd the attacker towards the touch line (because you and the touch line now form 2 defenders.)
3. Only in extremely desperate situations would you want to allow the attacker to cut back to the middle of the field and even then you would be in lock step with them still attempting to force them sideways or backwards instead of forward.

And that is it right there. The CPU attacking logic has not been good at going around a defender. So EA just seems to have decided this year to move your defenders out of the way. Suddenly the CPU is way more potent in attack but at a horrible cost to the user.

I don't play much online but I can't imagine people will be very thrilled if this ole' defending is in the full game.

[BL8001]

Quote: Originally Posted by drunkenferret

I won't even try coming up with sliders however until the final version comes out. The last two years it has been drastically different from the demo.

This.

This is what gives me hope.

[BL8001]

Quote: Originally Posted by Yeats

You really should have your own blog, you have so much insight into what it is that makes this game both good and awful. So is that rating-related? Do players with higher defensive or reaction ratings take few over-run steps, allowing them to get back into position quicker? That's what I would test.

It's tougher to test because EA greyed out the HUD option of names above players. I am seeing these defensive issues all over the pitch every game so I can definitely take some videos of great, good and bad defenders and how, from what I am seeing, they all take similar poor angles.

Last night I watched in mild horror as Kompany shuffle stepped twice to the right to avoid the on rushing attacker with the ball and let him have a free go at goal.

It went through my head that if I was Vincent I might actually consider a lawsuit against EA for defamation of character or misrepresentation or whatever. Punitive damages, Sue me, Sue everybody.

[kerosene31]

Quote: Originally Posted by BL8001

It's tougher to test because EA greyed out the HUD option of names above players. I am seeing these defensive issues all over the pitch every game so I can definitely take some videos of great, good and bad defenders and how, from what I am seeing, they all take similar poor angles. Last night I watched in mild horror as Kompany shuffle stepped twice to the right to avoid the on rushing attacker with the ball and let him have a free go at goal.

Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one running into this. Hopefully just something they did in the demo to create more goals. I was getting lit up on pro.

[tv25man]

Quote: Originally Posted by GlennonTheGr8

This makes me laugh... If you enjoy this game then great but don't try and tell me that this is the only thing EA do well. This isn't even remotely representing footie and it hasn't done since 09. The presentation is top notch, graphically beautiful but when it comes to gameplay, it's just horrible. If you're casuals (I'm guessing a lot of you are) then you're forgiven. It's like, I'm British and first got into madden back in 07 and to me and lots of other Brit kids, madden was absolutely awesome... To guys in the US, it was terrible and has been for the past few years. To us, it didn't matter... Who cared if Mark Sanchez was playing like Peyton Manning, who cared if Shonne Greene was evading like Barry Sanders... The more I fell in love with NFL the more I realised maddens flaws and then appreciated what 2k did with APF and 2k5... I'm guessing that if Americans really get into 'soccer' and understand each players tendencies and how teams actually set up then you'll realise how flawed this game is...

First off, that's your word, not ours. We took the name soccer from England. I find it consistently hilarious that Brits question us using the name they came up with.

Secondly, of course it isn't a full representation. But neither is Madden, NBA2K, APF, NHL, The Golf Club, Tiger Woods ... you can't fully simulate a sport.

When I take the positives I've witnessed and mentally combine them with the skills of the excellent slider builders on OS, I truly believe this game will create a great experience.

[therizing02]

Love that the fouls are finally making an appearance in FIFA. I agree with the the USER defending. It's as bad as I've seen it. However, switch to Legacy Defending and use the second defender press button. It helps a lot.

[GlennonTheGr8]

Quote: Originally Posted by DBMcGee3

Great post man. As an American, I still enjoy FIFA, but having gotten more familiar with international soccer over the past few years, it's clear that PES is far closer to a sim experience. For me, at the end of the day FIFA just always seems so scripted. Far too easy to score headers, and far too many goals scored in the 45th and 90th minutes. If I had a nickel for every time in FIFA 14 that either myself or my opponent scored a header while being closely guarded, I could pick up this year's game for free. I've seen Messi score headers over guys like Kompany.........c'mon. There's also very little variety in play styles for the various teams, whereas in PES every team and every game feels different, in my opinion.

Exactly, if you actually watch a game being played alongside FIFA and Pro Evo then you'd see that PES is so ahead when it comes to animations, build up play and so on... I've played Football games (soccer for you US guys) since 1994. The golden generation was PES 2005, that is the 2k5 of our world but since then, urgh... Although it looks like PES is getting back to it's best but only time will tell when the demo is released, been disappointed with them since 2008. But fifa... The midfield is non existent, you have the fastest players on earth being caught up by some of the slowest... I've just scored a goal with Raheem Sterling from about 40 yards out... I've had Fernando Torres score an absolute pile driver on his weak foot, as you say, Kompany being out jumped... The goalkeeping has been ok but still shocking in some areas... If you don't care much for soccer then I get it, it's fun but for me it's not accurately representing the sport at all.

[Resurrection403]

no disrespect to some people here, but, after playing all other sports games and then fifa 14... its remarkable to see people moan and bitch about it. its by far the best sports game on the planet. i guess its impossible to make everyone happy...and you have all this nostalgia talk about a game 10 years ago and wasnt nearly as good as people insist but like anything hipster.. anyways. im off on a tangent cuz i want to play the fifa demo for ps4 today. bah.