Seriously, why do I even play this game?

[mac_rmm]

Just finished another game where I completely outplayed and outshot the other team and lost 1-0 (actually that was the score when I shut it down). I think the shot total was 15-5 and shots on target were 8-2. I don't know if this counts the five to eight shots that were blocked by the super CBs at the top of the box. Two of those shots were a breakaway by Gareth Bale that the goalkeeper of course dove out and stopped and a shot in the box that hit the post, went right to Bale right in front of a wide open net (because the keeper was out on the first shot) and Bale somehow pulled it wide. It was obvious that this was the computer cheating because you can see the ball veer way off to the left even though his entire body was angled right at the net and he was no more than five feet away. I am running Jamie's sliders on World Class. I have actually lowered the goalie ability for CPU and it doesn't seem to make a difference. I am using semi-assisted shooting. The goaltender on the other team was rated a 78 by the way.

Has anyone seen a difference when switching to manual shooting? Is it worth it or will I get to experience the same type of crap and will the CPU just find another way to cheat? I am just getting so sick of losing games in career mode because of games like and the dreaded CPU comeback in the last ten minutes.

Also, has anyone noticed that the stupid schedule changes of games in Career mode set up ridiculous calendars that cannot be managed realistically unless you have the depth of a Real Madrid? I think I have had a game every other day for about two weeks now. Plus three to four injuries in that time that makes putting a lineup out there almost impossible. I didn't know if that was just me or do others see the same thing.

[Brahvocado]

Re: Seriously, why do I even play this game?

Manual shooting is definitely worth it imo

Where you point the stick is where you shoot it. Period.

Way less frustrating because if I miss I know it was my fault. Also I feel on the whole manual is just way more accurate

If you have already been playing on semi it's not quite as hard to get into either. I just turned the shot error for user down to 40 and then increased it as my accuracy got more consistent. Went from 40 to 54 in just a few days.

If you are trying to be realistic(why else would you be on these boards) you want to have an average shots on target of around 30 percent

[cepwin]

Re: Seriously, why do I even play this game?

Manual shooting is great if you can do it. I tried both and the problem I run into sometimes my accuracy isn't great and my passing percentage is in the 60's....not high enough to be even vaguely competitive. In other cases I did get a good percentage and it did avoid the frustration of trying to pass to one guy and sending it to a totally different guy which sometimes happens with semi or assisted.

[saucerset]

Re: Seriously, why do I even play this game?

I don't know if this counts the five to eight shots that were blocked by the super CBs at the top of the box.

This has been my biggest issue when playing. I feel like I am trying to shoot on 11 GK's instead of one. Any tips on getting open shots? I pass the ball around and even try coming from the sides instead of straight up the middle. I will hit an open guy and move the opposite direction of the nearest defender and attempt to shoot. The defender will suddenly get super speed and get his foot in the way of my shot. This happens to probably 90% of my shots.

[woody2goody]

I think manual shooting is too hard to be honest.

Try changing your mentality at the end of games to make it more defensive, because then at least you can minimise the chance of the CPU getting an equaliser.

We all have games like that mate, don't worry too much. I just had a game where I was comprehensively outplayed and outshot, but I won 1-0, and the next game I lost 3-0 even though I had a similar amount of chances to the CPU.

[Gnemi]

Re: Seriously, why do I even play this game?

I've definitely come around to preferring Manual shooting and trust me when I say that I was its biggest detractor for the first few months of FIFA 13's release.

The trick to consistently scoring in this game, from my experience, comes down to patience, patience, and PATIENCE.

Make the extra pass, always, regardless of your impulse to crack it from distance. If you don't have an angle or if you don't have separation from a defender, you WILL NOT SCORE GOALS in this game, so don't bother trying. However, once you do have space or a good angle to beat the keeper's weak side, with manual shooting you can score goals on at least 50% of your chances. The chances will be few, to be sure, but with manual shooting, there's a far greater likelihood of scoring than with auto. Semi-assisted is the worst shooting setting in the game.

For scoring on a cross, I've found that I have to be very careful to watch my strikers in and around the box. They'll often make runs on their own of course, but you can send them on one, too. If you are even half a second late though, it's over and the chance will go begging. So the trick to scoring from crosses? VIGILANCE!

One final note: Play from the wings. Always. I know it's tempting to work the middle of the field and maybe you have the personnel to do it or maybe you're adept with skill moves. I'm not. I have speedy wingers with moderate to excellent crossing and dribbling ability. I play this game with the Robben model of driving wingers to the edges of the pitch before cutting hard inside to look for a moving striker or I'll just try to beat the last man and get a shot at goal. With my wingers, I find that if I'm successful with them, they often free up my central attacking midfielder at the top of the box. From there, since his short passing, vision, and attack position are all very high, he's often one quick flick on from putting the ball perfectly at the feet of my striker or another winger cutting in.

Re: The Godforsaken God Mode, it is undoubtedly the most frustrating thing about this game and I don't have anything to say other than grin-n-bear it, because very much despite that feature, this is the best FIFA game in the series.

[USWAY]

Re: Seriously, why do I even play this game?

This type of CPU play just started against me in CM mode. Funny because it wasn't happening the first year. I think it has to do with you players form, and fatigue. My squad is not as deep as it was, and if you don't finish off games, and cup matches early so you can rest your best players, the consequences are two fold.

First if you don't rest you players, it seems your players will play alot worse. Lately I've just been missing "give me" angle shot while cutting in. I play with inverted wingers so those shots should be money every time. Passes, and touch is worse too.

Second, if you don't finish off games early, (I'm talkign 2-0, 3-0) the CPU will believe they are still in the game no matter how bad you out played them, turn on agressive, and you pretty much ****ed from there whether you play defensive or not. Plus, lately I've been not playing well in the first leg of cup matches, so I don't get the chance to rest my players in the return legs resulting in ridiculous fatigue when I'm playing 3 games in a week.

My suggestion for the last 10 minutes problem is to keep going for goals until that comes. If you up by enough they won't press.

For the fatigue problem, you gotta have a deep squad. I made that mistake this season, and every game is a struggle now.

For the goal scoring problem, I agree with Gnemi, gotta work the wings. Make sure you have some wingers who can take on their defender 1-on-1 and plus are adept to scoring goals. My midfielders are Xavi, Cesc, Iniesta, Thiago, and Busquets, yet passing doesn't do me much good. Even when I score with Messi, I usually take the ball from the right wing and cut in with him. I plan on buying Neymar for the LW during the transfer window.

[half-fast]

Re: Seriously, why do I even play this game?

Has anyone seen a difference when switching to manual shooting? Is it worth it or will I get to experience the same type of crap and will the CPU just find another way to cheat? I am just getting so sick of losing games in career mode because of games like and the dreaded CPU comeback in the last ten minutes.

Let me tell you a bit about manual shooting\playing. I am nowhere near the best manual player, but normally when I play online I have a better pass % than my opponent. Mid 70's is low for me, I'm usually in the mid 80's. I went manual a few weeks into FIFA 12's release and havent looked back. You feel ike when you score, you actually score, rather than auto-controller b.s. that most players score. Passing is a must as after you get good at it you can make passes auto pass simply will not make. I can put the ball anywhere I want, but certain passes will never happen in manual, which is sort of a bummer.

Manual shooting, on the other hand, is a whole other thing. I believe it's partially broken this year - let me explain it's ups and downs.

The Good:
For one manual shooting is technically better because you, in actuality, can put the ball whereever you want ... if you can. Ive scored goals(in fact just scored one last night) that you will never see auto-shooters score. Certain angles, it's absolutely beautiful when you pull it off. Distance shots are usually more dangerous from manual shooters also.

The Bad
Sometimes the easiest shots go wide. In theory this isnt so much of a problem for me because it mirrors real life pretty well. In practice, it is a problem because auto shooters score goals they shouldnt, and certainly score a lot of the easier shots most of the time, which gives you that disadvantage. I regularly outshoot my opponents and have a higher possession and pass accuracy, and still lose. I am a great manual passer, not so much of a shooter.

Frustrating
This is the worst part of manual shooting. Bad angle shots. It seems to me from what I remember about auto shooting and what Ive seen from my opponents that shots from brutal angles go in most of the time. This will be a huge down fall for you, unless youre magically good at it. Have a look at the angle the ball is to the net when it's wide of the net, near the goal line. Auto shots "just go on net" and will occasionally miss. Manual shots, take that angle you noticed the ball is to the net, now look at your analog stick and hit the exact same angle, and slightly compensate for your player's position to the ball, and state of the ball(rolling, bouncing, spinning) and now make that hard angle. Very much more realistic, but its very likely youll miss, when an auto shooter will score that goal s\he has no right scoring.

Sorry for the huge breakdown, just letting you know my over one year of experience with manual controls\shots.