So if you're like me this year, Professional is fun and exciting while you dominate the CPU and run roughshod all over them. World Class is challenging but the CPU seems to just have control - every team is able to grind you out to dead-even team stats and neutered score-lines. If this describes you at all, I'm going to need you to bear with me here.
You're never going to believe me. You'll look at these sliders and you'll shake your head and you'll find fault in them but I will promise you one thing - EA is nothing if not predictable. There is usually a very small change, a balance alteration behind the results we see in gameplay at default sliders. The best way i can explain this is that while the sliders will always be default at 50 with a 0-100 range, the underlying default values are altered on the same engine. In other words, if you notice marking is more extreme from one year to the next, odds are EA just boosted that slider and recalibrated it. Using this overly simplified approach is how these sliders came about.
Another note before the sliders: They aren't linear. For example, if they were what people treat them as, then a GK ability slider of 0 should mean that a GK is unable to save ANYTHING. Zero would represent literally 0 ability. It would function more like the "Sprint Speed" slider does - however, we can objectively prove this to be untrue. That's the main principle of these sliders.
Difficulty: World Class
Half Length: Doesn't Matter
Controls: Doesn't Matter (I'm on assisted for a lot of things, manual lobs)
If a setting is not listed, it is default at 50.
USER:
Pass Error: 0
Marking: 55
First Touch Error: 45
CPU:
Pass Error: 55
GK Ability: 0
Marking: 45
First Touch Error: 55
That's it. With these settings, i'm still challenged and still probably losing a deal of matches - but i've finally been able to score goals that look like the ones i scored on Professional. Only with less frequency. Scoring is WAY down with these sliders, but up enough that i would label non-header, non-penalty goals as "possible" finally. That was my main issue.
These sliders aren't rocket science - GK were saving every attempt i seemed to be able to get off so i lowered their ability to 0. I have experience with extreme slider sets that have worked wonders in the past, so i tried that again. Saves are still VERY frequent, but not overpowered. You'll change the way you look at the sliders if you just trust me on this.
I was unable to build reliable attacks because in the final third, my (assisted, mind you) passes were going slightly off and killing the attack. I wanted to experiment with no error and see how that played out, but in the process i discovered a dirty secret i've seen before: THERE'S STILL A TON OF ERROR. The calibration is different than you're picturing, also the game has different rules for "in the box". Once you get in the box where you could pass to score, the error increases at least ten-fold again. That's basically a slider we don't have access to.
Since this slider set is about difficulty adjustment, marking was offset accordingly and so was first touch error. Those values can be slowly worked back towards 50 as you improve and want to close in on World Class default.
That's it. You won't believe me, you'll tell me I'm wrong and that it ruins the game. But you won't know until you try it. Look at your stats after a match and see that your Pass % is still identical, but you didn't lose the ball RIGHT when you had a chance to score. Look at the saves after a match and see that the GK saved the same % of shots, but the one INSANE save he would usually make didn't happen.
Try them out. Feedback is welcomed so long as you keep in mind that I'm not looking for higher realism, just a difficulty closer to World Class, but with training wheels.
You're never going to believe me. You'll look at these sliders and you'll shake your head and you'll find fault in them but I will promise you one thing - EA is nothing if not predictable. There is usually a very small change, a balance alteration behind the results we see in gameplay at default sliders. The best way i can explain this is that while the sliders will always be default at 50 with a 0-100 range, the underlying default values are altered on the same engine. In other words, if you notice marking is more extreme from one year to the next, odds are EA just boosted that slider and recalibrated it. Using this overly simplified approach is how these sliders came about.
Another note before the sliders: They aren't linear. For example, if they were what people treat them as, then a GK ability slider of 0 should mean that a GK is unable to save ANYTHING. Zero would represent literally 0 ability. It would function more like the "Sprint Speed" slider does - however, we can objectively prove this to be untrue. That's the main principle of these sliders.
Difficulty: World Class
Half Length: Doesn't Matter
Controls: Doesn't Matter (I'm on assisted for a lot of things, manual lobs)
If a setting is not listed, it is default at 50.
USER:
Pass Error: 0
Marking: 55
First Touch Error: 45
CPU:
Pass Error: 55
GK Ability: 0
Marking: 45
First Touch Error: 55
That's it. With these settings, i'm still challenged and still probably losing a deal of matches - but i've finally been able to score goals that look like the ones i scored on Professional. Only with less frequency. Scoring is WAY down with these sliders, but up enough that i would label non-header, non-penalty goals as "possible" finally. That was my main issue.
These sliders aren't rocket science - GK were saving every attempt i seemed to be able to get off so i lowered their ability to 0. I have experience with extreme slider sets that have worked wonders in the past, so i tried that again. Saves are still VERY frequent, but not overpowered. You'll change the way you look at the sliders if you just trust me on this.
I was unable to build reliable attacks because in the final third, my (assisted, mind you) passes were going slightly off and killing the attack. I wanted to experiment with no error and see how that played out, but in the process i discovered a dirty secret i've seen before: THERE'S STILL A TON OF ERROR. The calibration is different than you're picturing, also the game has different rules for "in the box". Once you get in the box where you could pass to score, the error increases at least ten-fold again. That's basically a slider we don't have access to.
Since this slider set is about difficulty adjustment, marking was offset accordingly and so was first touch error. Those values can be slowly worked back towards 50 as you improve and want to close in on World Class default.
That's it. You won't believe me, you'll tell me I'm wrong and that it ruins the game. But you won't know until you try it. Look at your stats after a match and see that your Pass % is still identical, but you didn't lose the ball RIGHT when you had a chance to score. Look at the saves after a match and see that the GK saved the same % of shots, but the one INSANE save he would usually make didn't happen.
Try them out. Feedback is welcomed so long as you keep in mind that I'm not looking for higher realism, just a difficulty closer to World Class, but with training wheels.
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