Does the CPU cheat?

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Ive just played my last game of this title.

Im about to smash a controller.

Twice in my last game, the CPU came in an literally passed the ball to a teammate when I had possession. It used the passing animation when I had the ball. It was as if I wasnt even there and the ball was loose.

Their ability to tackle is perfect. Their ability to tackle the ball directly to a teammate is God-like.

Their ability to pre-empt a pass is amazing.

Their ability to win 50/50 balls 100% of the time is astounding.

And if EA cant design an AI where they can beat you fairly then they are ****.

I finished playing through an entire season of NBA2K and I lost the championship around. It was all legit.

I wont be getting FIFA 15 until I read whether or not they've addressed this bull****.

[JODYE]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

I'm really not a fan of the term "cheating." Cheating implies that something devious is going on, and I strongly disagree with that. IMO, what people are thinking of as cheating is simply poor programming and imbalanced gameplay mechanics.

The #1 issue are the various boosts given to the CPU, whether it's the different boosts for different difficulty levels, or the various boosts used in CM to simulate form, morale, and other factors. This isn't cheating; it's an imperfect solution to the underlying problem that the AI is simply not that smart - not as smart as any of us, and so the CPU needs boosts to be challenging. It's just not always implemented well.

The other big issue is simply poor programming and faults with the gameplay. For example, I play on Legendary with mostly default settings, and the #1 way I concede to the CPU is from through passes going to CPU strikers that are wide open. This isn't cheating, it's just poor defensive AI (my biggest issue with FIFA 14 NG), often compounded by problems with player switching.

Just remember: because no video game AI is a match for us (yet), every video game out there finds ways to stack the deck against you, and in this case it's with attribute boosts. It's not cheating; it's a necessary evil that's at times not implemented well.

This.

In addition though, there are definitely some scripted moments. Times where you do everything right and the game prevents you from scoring.

I was playing online last night with PSG. I had Lavezzi and Ibra 2 on 1 against a defender and the goalie. I ran Lavezzi out wide and forced the defender to commit then made a slick ground pass to Ibra to a wide open net. Literally from about 3 yards out and could have walked the ball in. Instinctively, I press O to shoot, and the ball LAUNCHES over the top crossbar at the most improbable angle I have ever seen.

There have been other instances where I have a wide open goal and my winger or striker will bang it off the cross bar multiple times until the defense gathers themselves and clears it.

The thing that pisses me off the most, is how stupid your team gets in the last third of the field. It is inexcusable. Guys suddenly lose all agility and have to slide and take 8 steps to make any sort of sudden movement, fall over at the slightest contact and couldn't put a pass on target if their life depended on it. It is absolutely maddening.

I also hate how they advertise the ball being "free", yet on deflections it always seems to rubber band to the other team, and when making lead passes, you are not allowed to switch to another player to intercept. The game will also blatantly decide that your pass will not be on target by passing to the completely wrong person, being so far off target from the direction you were aiming or my favorite, passing to the ONE guy on the field that is offsides, when there may be 2 or 3 other guys in the area that are eligible to receive it.

This will be my last FIFA purchase.

[mfp]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

This.

In addition though, there are definitely some scripted moments. Times where you do everything right and the game prevents you from scoring.

I was playing online last night with PSG. I had Lavezzi and Ibra 2 on 1 against a defender and the goalie. I ran Lavezzi out wide and forced the defender to commit then made a slick ground pass to Ibra to a wide open net. Literally from about 3 yards out and could have walked the ball in. Instinctively, I press O to shoot, and the ball LAUNCHES over the top crossbar at the most improbable angle I have ever seen.

There have been other instances where I have a wide open goal and my winger or striker will bang it off the cross bar multiple times until the defense gathers themselves and clears it.

The thing that pisses me off the most, is how stupid your team gets in the last third of the field. It is inexcusable. Guys suddenly lose all agility and have to slide and take 8 steps to make any sort of sudden movement, fall over at the slightest contact and couldn't put a pass on target if their life depended on it. It is absolutely maddening.

I also hate how they advertise the ball being "free", yet on deflections it always seems to rubber band to the other team, and when making lead passes, you are not allowed to switch to another player to intercept. The game will also blatantly decide that your pass will not be on target by passing to the completely wrong person, being so far off target from the direction you were aiming or my favorite, passing to the ONE guy on the field that is offsides, when there may be 2 or 3 other guys in the area that are eligible to receive it.

This will be my last FIFA purchase.

I see these types of complaints frequently and all I can say is that this doesn't happen in the games that I play. I'll reiterate: every time that I've felt kinda cheated by this game, I can clearly point to programming flaws that are to blame (instead of some devious coding behind the scenes to screw us over).

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

CPU cheating. I am Blackburn (in the white kit)

https://<iframe width="560" height="...reen></iframe>

[ZoneBlitz]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

CPU cheating. I am Blackburn (in the white kit)

https://<iframe width="560" height="...reen></iframe>

So, how is that cheating? I have seen worse in real games.

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

So, how is that cheating? I have seen worse in real games.

What...a ball defying the laws of physics to rocket off a soft pair of hands into the net?

[JODYE]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

I see these types of complaints frequently and all I can say is that this doesn't happen in the games that I play. I'll reiterate: every time that I've felt kinda cheated by this game, I can clearly point to programming flaws that are to blame (instead of some devious coding behind the scenes to screw us over).

Obviously any blatant advantage given to the CPU can be tied back to poor programming. I think that is pretty much inferred in all cases.

I certainly don't believe it was done on purpose, but the result of the poor coding lead to the game cheating for the CPU on higher difficulties.

If you play offline with sliders, some of these issues won't rear their head as often, but if you play online in any capacity, forget about it.

[JODYE]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

What...a ball defying the laws of physics to rocket off a soft pair of hands into the net?

Not to mention your defender (who had the angle) running away from the play to cover...no one? Just a god awful sequence there.

[SirGTI13]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

What...a ball defying the laws of physics to rocket off a soft pair of hands into the net?

To be honest, as frustrating as that play might have been, I wouldn't say that it is cheating. A bad bounce really. I have gotten some of those bounces going my way, and I don't complain.

"Cheating" or "CPU Cheese" has been nothing new for EA games. With the exception of MVP Baseball back in the day, I would say that every single EA game was prone to this type of programming. Madden and NCAA football were the absolute worst.

Playing on legendary, I will admit that there are times when the computer is trailing that they kick things into gear and suddenly play phenomenally. But, is that really anything to complain about? In my opinion, no.

What I do find, it that the harder the difficulty, the closer the parody between player's skills. For example, if I am playing on legendary and I have a striker with 90 speed against a defender with 60-70 speed, they still manage to keep up. However, this doesn't swing the other way.

Do I consider the CPU cheating? No. Do I think that EA could do a better job of programming their games, which hasn't changed much in 15 years? Yes.

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Playing on legendary, I will admit that there are times when the computer is trailing that they kick things into gear and suddenly play phenomenally. But, is that really anything to complain about? In my opinion, no.

What I do find, it that the harder the difficulty, the closer the parody between player's skills. For example, if I am playing on legendary and I have a striker with 90 speed against a defender with 60-70 speed, they still manage to keep up. However, this doesn't swing the other way.

Do I consider the CPU cheating? No. Do I think that EA could do a better job of programming their games, which hasn't changed much in 15 years? Yes.

I agree. Playing against a team that turns it up is a good thing.

I think you are spot on in observing that players become too alike at higher difficulties.

But the bad programming favours the CPU 95% of the time. All the deflections go there way. Its never their strikers falling over for no reason as they are about to shoot. It's their defenders that are super human tacklers and clearers.

Look at the vid below. The CPU was awarded a penalty shot.

https://<iframe width="560" height="...reen></iframe>

[NightmareBooster]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Perhaps anyone posting a clip of "cheating" or providing an anecdote should also mention their settings (difficulty, manual or not, etc...) because so many of these "cheating" instances are rectified by playing on manual. At the very least you can avoid the ones related to passing and shooting.

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

Perhaps anyone posting a clip of "cheating" or providing an anecdote should also mention their settings (difficulty, manual or not, etc...) because so many of these "cheating" instances are rectified by playing on manual. At the very least you can avoid the ones related to passing and shooting.

I play on fully manual, world class diff.

[tg9er]

Re: Does the CPU cheat?

I play exclusively offline career mode, either legendary of world class with my own sliders. I don't think games are scripted with an end result in mind, I don't even think the CPU predetermines any goals. I do feel with absolutely 100% certainly that the user can be applied a few different handicaps that can make it a virtual certainty that the CPU is going to create chances and it will be nearly impossible for the user to create chances. I think there are three handicaps (cheats) that are applied to the user. Some games you may not see any, some games you may have to deal with all of them for the full 90....these are the games that are impossible to win. Most games I will go through stretches where it's painfully obvious one or more of these handicaps is being applied.

Space Jam Cheat - The ratings drop is the most fundamental cheat in the history of sports video games and the most obvious when it's being applied. You can tell it's on when passing around your back four becomes a challenge despite zero defensive pressure. Your players suddenly develop no first touch, every skill move becomes slow motion and ever player you switch to defensively takes forever to get moving. When this handicap is on your only hope of scoring is a counter or a header.

The Spectator Cheat - This is when all of your teammates stop participating and force you to everything yourself. Players will stop all off the ball movement offensively and you are forced to chase the ball around your own half because your nine teammates become statues. Your players won't start any runs on their own regardless of settings, won't finish any runs and just generally become completely worthless. Defensively it's even worse. In my last game I watched the CPU dribble the ball from their penalty box to my corner flag with a single one of my teammates (every guy on the pitch for me is rated 82+) even acknowledging the guy. I could care less if I give up goals, I want to give up goals. But I don't want them to come from one guy walking the ball to corner, firing a cross to striker standing alone 6 yards from goal. Unleash a 30 yard screamer, string together eight straight passes, I don't care how, just make it look like something I've seen happen in a real game.

The Pass Cheat - This is where the CPU obviously chooses the wrong guy to pass to. Nearly every game I go through at least one stretch of play where any penetrating pass or through ball goes to the wrong man. I know I'm not perfect and as evidenced by my passing on manual I'm off by a few degrees quite a bit.....But when i press up and right my pass should not go up and left. The game also likes to take passes with 10%-20% power and send them 60 yards away. If this is the only handicap applied you can still score with skill or counters where the CPU doesn't have the chance to screw you up. Pass error should result in poorly weighted balls or balls just a bit offline, not 50 yards and 180 degrees offline.

I guess this is EA's way of scripting momentum during games or implement the up's and down's of a season but in 2014 it's flat out ridiculous that we have to deal with this crap.