Wepeeler at Global Community Day @ EAC

[wepeeler]

I'm new to these forums, but I mod over at the EAUK ones. Therizing02 told me about OS and I thought I'd check you guys out. Please posts comments questions and I will get answers if I can

I know this may be some re-hash, but here's the findings from my perspective. Hope it'e enjoyable:

Hello mates! This is the EAC-Crowned Next Gen FIFA 09 Tournament Champion Wepeeler chiming in from the airport in Vancouver Canada. I have just finished my time in the studio and am awaiting a rather long flight home. I figured I'd share some exclusive Next Gen love with all
First off, I won the Xbox 360 Next Gen tournament! I finished numero uno out of eleven well-polished Next Gen vets. What a nerve racking event that had me sweating, swearing, shaking, and in the end, gleaming with pride :teeth: Scores? 3-0, 4-1, 3-2, and the oh so tense final, 1-0. I played a fella from the community site Welcome to fifasoccerblog.com who had a little disadvantage since he was a PS3 gamer and was forced to make the switch to the 360. After a increasingly tense match, I scored the winner in the 86th minute and and have earned the new name "Rock Band" (the First Place Prize :teeth: ) What a time. What a group of guys 8)
Now on to the important stuff, haha. Next Gen FIFA 09.
We got our hands on an early build of FIFA 09 (6 weeks old to be exact). Unfortunately we could not play the latest version, as it's being tweaked on a daily basis, but we did get a very playable version. First impressions? Collisions. Skill moves. Polish. Speed. Finesse. Precision. Beauty. What a game. And this was only the Alpha version!
The main concern the developers had with 09 was gameplay. They did 250 gameplay tweaks that include increased responsiveness, physical play and intelligence. Collisions are gorgeous. Players react realistically when being hit in the foot; they no longer dive as if being hit by a train but rather hop, skip, or jump over the tackle to speed on with the ball. If they get hip checked by a larger, stronger player they may get sent to the pitch. BUT, you can also maneuver the faster player around the slower, stronger defender. Balance is restored and this makes for much more realistic pitch performance.
Customization is also a key feature of 09. A fully customizable controller is guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of the hardcore gamer. You can now customize tactics and bring them online to face the world. A personal EA locker is now available to upload custom tactics for others to download and use. If you think your favorite team plays a little differently than the game default, tweak it and share it to the world!
Be a Pro has been expanded and is now 4 seasons long. You can create a player or choose an existing player, move him up the ranks to the National squad, and if you're lucky enough, become a National Legend.
Online 10 vs 10 is also a nice addition. With improved servers, finding a game should no longer be an issue. Connection issues should be fixed. Uploading replays should be fixed. Issues with pairing EA usernames and gamertags should be fixed. All in all, very promising for the online FIFA community.
Details to come as I must make my way through customs, lol. I've only posted about a tenth of what I intend to, so stay tuned for MANY more details, pictures and video :teeth:
Edit - I'm going to do my best to break down the main points in a readable manner. If anyone has any issues or questions, feel free to post, and I clarify to the best of my ability. Remember, I am running 30 hours straight so forgive me if I sound like a rambling fool
Gameplay
- Highly Polished Gameplay
The main concern the development team had with 09 was tuning gameplay so the feel of real football existed. Reaction times of the players have been increased to allow one to flow instead of jerk around the pitch. This is especially noticied on through balls and balls played toward the striker. Instead of having a player run a straight line toward a through ball and end up nowhere near, or sometimes even outrunning the ball, the players feel more life-like. If the through ball is played too slowly, the streaking player will make a turn to try his best to get to the ball instead of simply running a rail and out-running the ball. How many times in a real footie match do the players simply run a straight line in complete disregard to the played ball? Not many and this is exactly the point of the new "smarter" AI. Make more life-like reactions.
Another impressive addition was the way a ball can be played to a center striker. In the past, if you passed the ball to the top of the box, you're player trapped it for control allowing the defense to tackle and win possession. Now, you can receive the ball and in one fluid motion turn, trick, pass, shoot or do whatever your little heart desires. No more trapping and giving the the edge to the defense. On the flip side, a defender can still win the ball if he can out-muscle, out-position, or jostle a smaller player off the ball. The edge isn't only for the offense. Playing defense was much more rewarding, but I'll get to that in a bit.
I think I already mentioned the 250 key improvements to gameplay, but it's worth mentioning again. Dribbling has also been given some life. Too many times in the past the dribbler had to take extra taps on the ball to maintain possession or extra taps to get the ball under control. Now a Ronaldo-type player can maintain possession by the way he taps the ball. Both the inside and outside of the foot are used, giving the dribbler ultimate control. A few new tricks have been added, but I didn't get a chance to find out what they were (on a side note, I am awaiting a Q and A from the Lead Producer Dave Rutter; more on that when I get it).
This brings me back to defense. I pride myself on my ability to defend. So should anyone who can react to the computer AI, an online opponent or to a friend. A new jostling sysyem has been implemented and it feels wonderful. So many times in 08 it was easy enough to pass to a Ronalo-type, send it to the wings, blow everyone away, cross and score. Although a faster player may seem to have an advantage over a slower defender, the defender now has the ability to grapple or jostle the dribbler. Based on the players stats (ie strength, speed, height, weight etc), a more true reaction occurs when two players fight for the ball. It's really rewarding to kick a speedy striker off the ball with a quick hip check (hehe) or grab his arm while the ref takes a nap (double hehe). So many different animations occur when two players jostle for the ball that the possibilities seem endless. This is also seen when fighting for a header. If one player overcommits, he may find himself with a turf sandwich with a side of boot. If one player undercommits he most likely will not win the ball, as the other player has the obvious advantage. But the fun begins when both players are similar in stature and stats. You can see an actual grapple and a "fight" ensues. I saw two players jump and heads collide sending both players to the ground with neither greedy player winning the ball. It's now possible to get an injury for a head to head butt-fest (I know, I'm sleep deprived, lol). Also new is the ability to get slightly injured, sent off for treatment and return to the game (Ballack anyone?). Really great feature and this adds so much depth to the way the game is played. All in all, the 250 tweaks and new animations will keep you saying, "WOW! Did you see that!" over and over.

- Collisions
Collisions also have been completely redesigned. This time around the group decided to higher real football players AND stuntmen. The result is gravity defying mayhem and completely believeable falls, stumbles, and dives. For instance, a player gets knicked on the foot in 08. What happened? He lost possession and you were left cursing the screen: "He hit my foot, and I fell on my face? AHHHH!" Now, if the player is hit in the foot he can still maintain possession and continue his run. What about tripping over a downed player? Why just jump over him with the newly designed physics! I realize there was jumping in 08 but the newly designed engine makes it more attractive/believeable. I guess you may have to see that one to understand completely, hard to explain with words...Jostling also has a play in the collision system. When fighting a winger for the ball, it feels like the physical play of the Premiership. Players throw elbows, players use hip checks, and yes, Drogba falls over (cheap shot, I know...Although a EA guy from Australia scored 4 times in one match against me with him so I'm allowed to poke fun ). The point is that there is an actual reaction when two players collide. No more boring, scripted, generic "battles". Shielding has also been revamped. Now, you can effectively shield the ball and even fight back if you're being pressured too much. You can use the stick to "push back" and actually knock the defender away. You just need to be careful as it can result in a foul.

- Be a Pro
Went over most of this above, so I won't bore you with the same info. 4 seasons, National team, National Legend
- Online 10 v 10
Same thing. Went over it above...
All in all, wicked cool stuff considering I played an 6 week old "Alpha" build. Like I said, it was very playable, but the dev team said they have a version they have tweaked 3 or 4 times over since then. Shame we didn't get hands-on.
I'll get some pics up when I can. Hate to burst everyone's bubble but no gameplay videos. We were not allowed to photograph/video in the room, but I do have some video of EAC. GOOD NEWS - We will be getting assets shortly - new screenshots, gameplay video and even a "making of FIFA 09" series. The first will be about 10 min with an uncut 30 minute version to follow. I've heard the series will be about 8 or 9 videos long so look forward to that. I will release stuff as soon as I get it and don't worry, you guys will be the first to know.
Since I haven't slept in 31 hours, I'm going to take a shower, grab a ULTRA GRANDE EXTRA LATTE, head off to work until 8pm and THEN catch some wink. Maybe I'll get to some pics later but no promises.
Stay tuned...I will keep you guys posted on the latest.
Wepeeler out.

[juanchisanz15]

1.Tell us about the keepers.(crosses,1 vs 1, Y button use is correct with them)

2.Are the players recognizable by their way or running,shooting....
are they planning to implement this in future release like NBA 2k8 taht every player is unique......

3.Are there any feedback when a player has already a yellow card preventing us of making fouls with him.....if i´m not wrong now we just know who has a yellow card when he has the ball.This is useless.we need to know it when we´re in defence

Thanx

[Qb]

Welcome wepeeler! Thanks for sharing your impressions with us. You'll find that for (mostly) a bunch of Yanks, we love our footie!

[therizing02]

Quote: Originally Posted by Qb

Welcome wepeeler! Thanks for sharing your impressions with us. You'll find that for (mostly) a bunch of Yanks, we love our footie!

HA! Wepeeler is a Yank too! Connecticut as a matter of fact. Great to know that a "yank" is a mod on the EA boards.

Chances are he's the same zone as I am today. We were both at the Vancouver airport for about 7 hours yesterday waiting on the 11pm flight that got us into Chicago at 5am. We're both working too!

Great post Wepeeler.

[Qb]

Quote: Originally Posted by therizing02

HA! Wepeeler is a Yank too!

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle...

[greenhorn]

Great impressions, can’t wait till we start seeing this game in action!

[Seahawk76]

Great stuff Wepeeler. Did they explain why they were limiting Be A Pro to only four seasons? And do you start out on a smaller club hoping to be transferred to an EPL team (or similar) or do you just play for whatever team you want, even if it's Manchester United and your skills are limited at the beginning?

[wepeeler]

Sorry I haven't been around much but I've been playing catchup on life ever since I got back from vaca and then EAC

Thanks for the love guys, and yes, I'm a Yank, lol. Feels to good to know that someone with your interests in mind mods on the EAUK forums, huh? I'll be sure to pass along any info I get from here

As for your questions,

Quote:

1.Tell us about the keepers.(crosses,1 vs 1, Y button use is correct with them) 2.Are the players recognizable by their way or running,shooting.... are they planning to implement this in future release like NBA 2k8 taht every player is unique...... 3.Are there any feedback when a player has already a yellow card preventing us of making fouls with him.....if i´m not wrong now we just know who has a yellow card when he has the ball.This is useless.we need to know it when we´re in defence

1) Y still controls the keeper in 1 v 1 situations. The keeper is much smarter and no one tap home goals on 1 v 1. I mean, you can score them but not EVERYTIME like in 08...

2) Players definitely have unique style.

3) I believe yellow-carded players have their names in yellow, so if you switch to them in defense, you'll see their names highlighted in yellow...

Quote:

Did they explain why they were limiting Be A Pro to only four seasons? And do you start out on a smaller club hoping to be transferred to an EPL team (or similar) or do you just play for whatever team you want, even if it's Manchester United and your skills are limited at the beginning?

They did not say why they limited Be a Pro. Perhaps because there is now 10 v 10 online and they are thinking that will be more of a hit? I'm really not sure, but I expect it to be longer in the future.

Thanks alot for the feedback guys, and I'll try my best to pop on here more. I'd need to quit my job and just do FIFA stuff to catch up on everything

Here's a link to my YouTube channel if ay of you are interested. This is how EA found me http://www.youtube.com/wepeeler

Also, here's a vid I made of the few days at EAC. Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8WH0vmMAIA