Does the CPU cheat?

[Smirkin Dirk]

Im keen for a few soccer heads to tell whether Im right, or if Im just **** at the game. I know the basics of soccer but formations etc my knowledge is pretty shallow. Here's some things Ive noticed.

CPUs ability to clear the ball to any open teammate on the pitch from an attacking scramble. Anywhere.

The sudden speed burst defenders get.

The way the CPU bodies morph into better position (in a physical duel) when it suits them.

The manner in which CPU teammates are oblivious to the ball and often run away from a chance.

Their near perfect crossing ability in tight spaces.

Their amazing ability to tackle the ball away directly to a teammate.

[doyce7]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Yep. You left out that you almost never win shoulder to should against the cpu

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[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Yep. You left out that you almost never win shoulder to should against the cpu

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

Do you mean in aerial duels? I've never won a header clearly in a 50/50 against the CPU

[orion523]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Nah the computer doesn't cheat, more often than not the situations you describe are caused by human error, poor positioning, poor decision making, abuse of the sprint button, things like that. It sounds to me like you're just frustrated. I'm nearing the end of my first full season with the NG version of the game using Roma and I'm in 3rd position with a record of 19W 8D 4L
Playing strictly on world class and legendary, if the CPU did the things you've mentioned above, I'd have way more losses than 4

[ZoneBlitz]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Nah the computer doesn't cheat, more often than not the situations you describe are caused by human error, poor positioning, poor decision making, abuse of the sprint button, things like that. It sounds to me like you're just frustrated. I'm nearing the end of my first full season with the NG version of the game using Roma and I'm in 3rd position with a record of 19W 8D 4L
Playing strictly on world class and legendary, if the CPU did the things you've mentioned above, I'd have way more losses than 4

I do think that FIFA dumb downs your players. However, the cheating is nowhere near as bad. I play on Professional.

[BL8001]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

I say yes it does. But only because it always has. It's part of the ea code they keep dragging along from version to version.

But as they have moved along each year the amount of cheating has lessened.

It's also heavily mode dependent.

If you are playing fut then yes, 100% yes! the CPU is a cheat.
Same goes for the weekly challenges that you can't change the sliders on.

Career just has it's moments where the CPU gets boosted.

Exhibition on default cheats but sliders help tone it down. But in my opinion if you tone down the cheating the CPU doesn't put up as much of a fight.

To counter the cheating just observe what the CPU does. The CPU is terrible at deviating from their methods. So once you figure out how they want to attack you, you can stop it because they won't change tactics during a match.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

It does, but I feel like sometimes it has more to do with your own teammates becoming inept off the ball.

[doyce7]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

It does, but I feel like sometimes it has more to do with your own teammates becoming inept off the ball.

So much this

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[BL8001]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

I posted some things about this in the CG forum when fifa was released.

The way ea does skill levels in this game is annoying. This is all default, no sliders.

Amateur everyone on your team is messi and Ronaldo caliber and the CPU is brain dead and slow. Wonderful off the ball runs and flowing football. Dortmund hopped up on 6 red bulls each.

Semi pro your team is still cracking and the CPU is a little better but only at keeping you from winning 20-0. More like 8-1 and they got 1 shot off.

Pro is the most "balanced" particularly on NG and your players are good but the CPU still poses no threat on offense.

World class the CPU knows what you are going to do before you do and your players intelligence goes down. Remember all those great off the ball runs on amateur and semi pro? Yeah your team just stands around now.

Legendary. Actually in past games this has been fairer than WC because the cheating was down and it was more just that the CPU is better at everything than you no matter what team you are or they are.

Ultimate. Never bothered with it.

If you could somehow have split skill levels like ncaa has now I would play against a pro CPU defense and then defend against a legendary CPU offense. That would be just about perfect.

I can't think of another sports game that can get away with making your players dumber as you move up skill levels.

Not only that but as you move up in skill you now have to take control of every player to make them do the right thing so it becomes a bit like herding cats while someone pokes you with a stick.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Since I am more of a CM player, I have become quite adept at overcoming cpu garbage in the game (when it is not completely impossible), and so when I play legendary kick off games they aren't quite as bad. But that said, they are still wracked with mysterious first touch bobbles, teammates making all the wrong runs, fouls overwhelmingly in the cpu's favor, my inability to actually select a defender to properly defend the box, etc...

So a lot of my experience with FIFA is about using a collection of experience to overcome challenge elements that aren't especially sophisticated or football-esque, and feel like something out of a more primitive gaming experience—like say from Contra or Battletoads. Not really satisfying gameplay for a football quasi-sim.

And for all game modes going forward, the "emotion engine"—which due to the exploits of PC users we objectively know creates advantage and disadvantage in the game—needs to go.

I'd like to see some innovation in terms of attacking AI to make the entire game experience more organic, and not reliant upon what is more or less a scripting mechanism to induce the bulk of AI scoring.

The problem with the "emotion engine" is that, while its aim is to introduce, challenge, competitiveness, and unpredictability, in order to "authenticate" the depiction of football, in the end it accomplishes the opposite.

When I fire up my League 2 CM, and suddenly Bill Smith of Crawley Town is counter-dribbling in his defensive third like the second-coming of Maradona, and then when I get a touch I fumble it like a fat schoolboy, I do not find it unpredictable or authentic.

When I see this I think: "here is another one of those matches." Conversely, the thrill of scoring six goals in a CM match is quite empty because instead of dominating the many aspects of football, my players simply did things I would ordinarily expect them to do, whereas normally they do not. The way it is in the game today, a surge in form for the cpu or me just doesn't feel credible. I don't want to see a League 2 CB's morph into top flight skill players/dribblers for the mission of simulating the emotions and ebbs and flow of football, and sports more broadly.

The game is challenging, yes. But not in a way where it feels like my ability to play football against another team playing football goes. More, as I said previously, in the way of older video games where the AI simply consisted of an immediate pre-determined counter to my input.

I'm not expecting this to happen in one dev cycle, but I firmly believe it is time for sports games to start moving away from their current fundamental methods for producing competitive AI— essentially an intervening mechanism metering out advantage or disadvantage in very rigid ways.

I really think the word "organic" is overused in game design, but the focus in developing the way the cpu competes should emphasize the experience with the AI "feeling right," or feeling "organic." And to do that it must get more sophisticated than it is now. That, I would argue, is a feature that hasn't been on the back of the box yet. The day I see FIFA launch with the slogan "Beauty and Brains" I will probably try to wake myself up several times.

Personally, I think the first step would be to remove the effect of the emotion engine on first touch. Make first touch independent of underlying advantage, and make it play out according to individual player ratings (do not subject these first touch ratings to emotion engine).

I think there has been a lot to like about the series for a long time. The CM is a great mode, and they've done very well improving it year after year. Superficially, the game looks great, animates better and better, and the licensed stuff is nice too. Physics in NG are on their way as well. AI though, let's see some rebuilding from EA Canada there.

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Very close to deleting this game.

3 instances.

a. The CPU bicycle kick cleared the ball 50 yeards diagonally across the pitch to an open man

b. Had a chane to level. My guy gets injured as I was about to shoot.

c. Conceded an own goal. The goalie had the ball at his feet and wouldnt pick it up. He bent down, as if it were a bar of soap it slipped out and into the net.

[Yeats]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Very close to deleting this game.

3 instances.

Seriously, what are you expecting here? This is FIFA, the CPU AI has been programmed this way for a decade now. The CPU can pinpoint pass and evade tackles like psychic ninjas... doesn't matter who the player is or what tier the team is. Most mundane and silly CPU AI programming of any sports game apart from EA's NHL series.

[BL8001]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Yep Yeats is right.

Here is how I counter the CPU getting all frenzied on me.

If they kick off and I sense they are in "cheat mode" I get the ball from them as quickly as possible and then just pass it around for 10 minutes in my half.

This basically removes the CPU buff because you have just turned the tide possession wise.

Stupid? Yes. But once you have felt the unjustness of fifa cheating you throw out civilized football measures and go for the throat.

I have always wanted a balanced game where stats are even and it plays out like football but it's not going to happen. So having come to terms with that I now no longer care what the CPU does. If they get no shots yet have 95% pass completion and I win 1-nil then huzzah.

It looks like a proper football game and it's dressed up like one but it's heart is a cruel and evil c word.

[kerosene31]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

The CPU cheats in every sports video game ever made. It has to on higher difficulty. That's just the reality of sports games. You can play on lower difficulties where things are "fair", but of course most of us would destroy the CPU. There's just no way around it until someone comes up with a way for an AI system to out-think a human in a complex game.

[Keirik]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Just looking at the way the cpu clears balls out of danger right to teammates is enough evidence to know the cpu has a clear advantage.