Questions (and Answers) for General Gameplay

[SpHSpH]

I am establishing this thread as a place to discuss some questions/thoughts that I have about gameplay ideas in FIFA14. This is not meant to be a place to complain about the CPU “cheating” (there are plenty of other threads about that already) – instead I would like to get the community’s help with some issues that I have been having trouble with. We all know the instruction manual (now only available online) is lacking in detail – so there is certainly value in pooling our experiences together.

I am a pretty experienced FIFA player – I have been playing regularly since FIFA06 – I have been playing all-manual since FIFA09 – but even then I still have trouble with a few aspects of the game. I play exclusively offline career mode matches against the CPU.

I understand that some of my discussion points may be related to my slider settings – so I will list my current slider settings in the next post.

I hope this can become a lively discussion with help and hints that can be useful to many members of the FIFA community. I will really appreciate any of your thoughts. Thanks!

[SpHSpH]

Here are my current settings:

World Class
15 Minutes per Half
Slow Game Speed

Sliders (User / CPU)

Edit [Jan 10 2014] - I have switched to using the Gonira slider set:

Sprint Speed – 45/45
Acceleration – 48/48
Shot Error – 54/54
Pass Error – 51/65
Shot Speed – 50/50
Pass Speed – 53/53
Injury Frequency – 75/89
Injury Severity – 55/55
GK Ability – 47/47
Marking – 50/50
Run Frequency – 50/50
Line Height – 50/50
Line Length – 54/54
Line Width – 53/53
FB Positioning – 54/54
Power Bar – 42/--
1^st Touch Error – 50/50

Tele (Height = 12 / Zoom = 8)

I use the “Official FIFA 14 Custom Team Tactics (AI) Thread” from Krebstar

[SpHSpH]

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<> Teammates Do Not Aggressively Go Toward A Pass <>
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Imagine this scenario … the LW advances the ball along the sideline, he stops and plays a pass into the center of the pitch toward the ST near the top of the 18-yard box, the ST stands completely still as a defensive player runs pass him to intercept the pass. Why does my teammate not attempt to go to the ball?

This is something that has bothered me in almost all of the previous iterations of FIFA. Is this something that I am doing wrong with the controller? Is this a function of regular pass [A] vs. through ball [Y]? Should I attempt to move the receiving player with the L-Stick or should I stay off the L-Stick until he has possession of the pass? Is there a way to make my teammate “box-out” against the defender? Is this a function of the player who is passing the ball?

It is really frustrating to watch my teammate stand motionless while the CPU defender goes right past him to gather the pass. I am not necessarily saying that this happens all of the time – but it is definitely a frequent occurrence.

[SpHSpH]

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<> Should I Ever Use The Sprint (Offense or Defense) <>
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This is a common EA thing … you are always more vulnerable to errors when you are sprinting (or using turbo or whatever). I remember this from playing Madden years ago … if your player was sprinting, you were easier to tackle, more likely to fumble, harder to change direction, and the rest. I am OK with this from a physics standpoint – it is true that events should be more difficult if you are running at full speed. So that leads to the question … is it ever a good idea to be sprinting?

On offense:

The ball is farther away from the player’s feet – meaning it is easier for a defender to tackle it away. It is harder to change direction. Am I more likely to be errant with a pass if I am sprinting? Do the CPU defenders “defend harder” against a sprinting offensive player? Do my teammates react differently (making runs) if they see that I am sprinting?

Does a “stop-sprint-stop” motion work to get past a defender? Are my shots on goal affected by if my player is sprinting? Are my crosses better if my player is sprinting?

On defense:

I am more susceptible to a CPU change in direction if my marker is sprinting – yes? I feel like, a lot of times, the CPU guy gets past my player, I then have to sprint to get back into position, and this leaves me vulnerable to the CPU player getting past me again. Am I even able to attempt a tackle (standing or sliding) if I am sprinting? Will a defensive teammate come to help me if I am sprinting?

So, yeah, when are the right times to be on the right trigger?

[SpHSpH]

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<> Knock-On Only Works When The Player Is Sprinting <>
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This is something that is different from the previous iterations of FIFA. You used to be able to do the knock-on from either a running or a sprinting motion – but now the R-Stick only does the knock-on if you are also holding [RT]. This is tied to the fact that now the skill moves do NOT require you to be holding [LT]. Mostly … this means that I keep accidently doing a skill move (via R-Stick) when I had been intending to do a knock-on from a running speed.

The question for this section is then … when/what is the right application for the knock-on? Do I use this to get some space? Something prior to attempting a cross? Would I try this before I attempt a shot? The knock-on does move the ball farther away from my player – so I need to be cautious about giving the defender a chance to dispossess me.

[SpHSpH]

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<> Get Off The L-Stick (In General / Before Any Action) <>
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I feel like I am on the L-Stick all of the time (both on offense and on defense). I am too impatient – I am always trying to have my player in motion – and I think that, maybe, this is a mistake. I think the CPU defense comes after me more aggressively when I am moving – and they stay back a bit (for a moment at least) if my player is stationary. It is as if the defense needs to wait to see what my move is … and if I am not moving … they wait to react. So – are you guys good about being patient? Have you seen any favorable effects associated with this idea? Same idea on defense … I am always chasing the ball. Is there any reason to stop and wait and stay in a better position?

And a second thought about getting off the L-Stick … do you find that an action (shot / pass / cross / tackle / etc.) works better if you release the L-Stick (even for only a moment) right before you begin the action? I have to get back on the L-Stick during the action (because I play all-manual and the L-Stick is required for direction). This is a thought because the L-Stick is mapped to BOTH moving your player (dribbling) and controlling the direction for passes/crosses/shots. How does the game distinguish between L-Stick controlling my players’ motion and my players’ aim?

I try to leave a “beat” between moving and performing an action. It is tough, especially when the CPU defense is all over me, but I think there is something to it. Have any of you noticed anything like this?

[SpHSpH]

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<> Does [LB] (switch player) always give you the "wrong" guy? <>
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I have switching set to “Air Balls” – so I use the [LB] to select players when I am on defense. I think that I have two questions related to this … (1) how often should I be mashing [LB] to switch to a new guy and (2) do you feel that, when you ask for the switch, you sometimes (rarely? often?) get the wrong guy (i.e. not the player who you desired in terms of being in the right position to help on defense)?

(1) I think I may be switching players too frequently. I am aware of this – and I am trying to be better about it – but it has become my nature to switch every time the CPU plays a pass. Is there some value in “holding the fort” and sticking with one defensive player for a bit? I also find that the CPU is able to beat my guy with the dribble a lot of times (a different post for another day) – so I need to use [LB] to get a second defensive player … and this leads to me pulling some guys out of position (my LB and RB move too far into the center of the pitch, my LW and RW are down along the touchline, etc.). The CPU seems to exploit this – it waits until I have lots of players in the wrong spot – and then it has even more space to attack me.

(2) This one annoys me much more (though it may be related to my over-switching concern from above) … I see what is happening, I recognize that I have a different defensive player in a good position to do something nice, I hit [LB] to (seemingly) switch to the “player in the best position”, and I am given control of not the guy that I wanted. This then leads to furious mashing of [LB] until it eventually cycles around to the player that I originally had in mind … but now it is too late and something else has developed. Bummers indeed.

(3) A little more on this topic ... it is also VERY ANNOYING when the [LB] switch gives you the "wrong" guy, and you were already on the L-Stick in anticipation of moving the "right" guy in a certain direction, only now what you are really doing is moving the "wrong" guy into a worse position before you realize that you are not actually controlling the player that you wanted to switch to. And if you are not on the L-Stick (because you have learned that the game will randomly give you the "wrong" guy sometimes) - when the switch occurs, the player you have switched to takes a moment to begin moving in the direction that you wanted him to, and in that moment, the CPU has advanced past him as well. Serious grumbles!

[SpHSpH]

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<> How do I tackle (standing / slide)? <>
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I understand which buttons to push … [ B ] for standing tackle and [ X ] for sliding tackle … but I am asking more about when should I attempt a tackle, do I press the button once or hold it down or mash it repeatedly, does my defensive player need to be standing still or it is OK if he is moving / jogging / sprinting / jockeying, etc.

I tend to stay away from the sliding tackle (I never got good at using it in previous FIFA’s) but I think that maybe I should work harder at including it in my arsenal. I was/am hesitant about getting fouls and cards, and, when I miss with a sliding tackle, my defender is out of the play until he gets back up off the ground. This is why I primarily attempt the standing tackle … but even that does not work consistently enough for me to think that I am doing it right.

How close do I need to be to the CPU player when I attempt either type of tackle? Do I want to slow my defender down before he attempts the tackle? How rapidly should I press the button?

I usually finish a match (15 min half) with between 15 and 25 tackles … so it is not that I am woeful at tackling … but most of my tackles seem to come from when I am sprinting alongside a CPU player and mashing at [X] and hoping for the best … this does not seem like the ideal way to play defense …