Fed up with FIFA devs

[flo182]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

But are those leagues actually simulated? Like if you're playing as an EPL team, and Barcelona are playing a random La Liga side, is FIFA actually simulating that game (Messi scores twice, Suarez scores once, Pique picks up a yellow)? Or are they just aggregating the two sides' player ratings, putting that info into some probability simulator, and just randomly assigning a scoreline to the game?

I'd be surprised if it was the former. And I think it would lead to a lot longer load times, even if you only did it for the top 5 UEFA leagues.

I'm 99% sure they don't really sim the games and keep some kind of stats for it.
At least during the last 4-5 FIFA games there were always some weird league tables.
For example if you play Premier League and then check one of the other leagues tables a team might have played 10 games with 7-1-2 Win/Draw/Loose.
If you sim ahead for 1-2 weeks and check the same table, this team might have played 12 games with 11 Wins - 0 Remis - 1 Loss.
So there are some inconsistencies there and I think there is a lot of randomness in there as well.

Would it take longer loading times? I guess so. But is it really that hard to keep some of these stats?

If I compare it to NBA, Madden or even the last NHL I played (which was 2002 I think) they all have much better and deeper stats tracking than FIFA.

If FIFA Manager 2006 was able to sim 50 leagues and keep stats of these players, then FIFA 16 should be able to at least give us consistent league tables and mayber top-scorers/assist leaders.

[Tomba]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

I like to think of myself as a very dedicated single player user of this game, and used to be for Madden and NCAA football. FIFA has frankly abused us as customers for a long time now, and I won't further indulge it. Let me explain.

The single player experience in FIFA, specifically career manager mode, is past due date. It's long since expired and is stale beyond belief. Ignoring the myriad of problems such as transfer scouting, recruiting, buying and selling players, loaning, etc etc... these key issues continue and make me unwilling to spend more money on fifa:

Teams play alike This is the biggest, most serious sin of the game series to date. Who cares about the rest? When you're on the pitch playing Barca or Bayer or America, all the teams play the same. Tika taka passing and the EXACT same playstyle. Full stop, the rest of my rant can end here. If you're in year 4 of your manager mode, this becomes tedious and boring beyond belief. There's no teams that play long ball, or play a counter, or play a hard attack with risky passing. Nope. It's all careful and perfect passing until they blow a cross (dont even get me started on AI crossing) or until they miss a pass by 5 yards. Or if they shoot and you save it. That's it. That's the extent of the AI. And I would be willing to wager my home on that staying the same this year.

Transfer logic is broken and bad Even on the computer, with a mod to increase transfers, simming ahead 5 years will show that all teams are basically 90% the same. Boring. Stupid. Lazy. Pick your word, EA is guilty of it. No thanks.

Superficial Like the gals and guys on the Jersey shore, this series manager mode is vapid and uninteresting. Stat tracking is a joke. There's no depth, no trophy room, no reason to do anything. You cant turn off firing and the board is insane. There's no career stats or stats for leagues outside of yours. At all. You cant easily see whats going on in your league or outside your league... basically it's like the rest of the world ceases to exist. Its you and your team and who you play next. Boring. lazy. Again, pick your word ... Ea is guilty.

Now look at Madden. Do I prefer video game American football to Soccer? No. I think that video soccer is better, but good lord, is Madden ever impressive in these areas. The franchise mode is deep, always worked on, and being focused on of all things this year.

What? Yes, you read that right. They're literally focusing on franchise mode. It was already much better in all sorts of ways to FIFA's, and yet they're still working on refreshing it. Having played the trial I'm shocked at how engaging the mode is, how much they tweak and improve the game year to year, and listen to the community. Night and day to what we get.

FIFA sells 150 million to Maddens 120 million copies. Money isn't an issue. I for one won't be a part of that 150 million this year, or, next, until they begin respecting their customers again and put some work into the mode that so many of us love.

Shame on you EA.

Realism will never be their priority.

I've learned to care less. After all its just a game...

[BSDShoes]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

Madden NFL is developed in Orlando, Fla. while NHL, FIFA and UFC (and formally NFS) are developed in Vancouver, BC. Completely different groups of developers and managers, the Vancouver HQ IMO has some people that don't know what they're doing.

[jjw90]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

When talking about simulating other leagues and matches you must remember there are ~30 leagues and ~600 teams. The loading times would be VERY VERY long even on a powerful PC. Even now with minimal simulation people are complaining about loading times and laggy menus on consoles. Its not likely any detailed simulation of other leagues will come anytime soon.

[triplechin]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

Madden franchise is only better than FIFAs because FIFA's is terrible. Madden franchise is still poor with terrible AI, terrible decisions by computer controlled teams, and a poor progression system among other things. I am a franchise player but really thinking about playing FUT this year because manager mode is still no good.

[kwebbvols4423]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

Will be purchasing PES next week for PS4 and will wait for FIFA to hit the EA Access vault.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

I just wish FIFA devs would give us a few presets for Sim, Arcade, Harcore sim, etc... like the NHL team does.

[Resurrection403]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

Madden franchise is only better than FIFAs because FIFA's is terrible. Madden franchise is still poor with terrible AI, terrible decisions by computer controlled teams, and a poor progression system among other things. I am a franchise player but really thinking about playing FUT this year because manager mode is still no good.

Comparing the two is laughable. Madden is a great career mode.

[brs2305]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

I'm 99% sure they don't really sim the games and keep some kind of stats for it.
At least during the last 4-5 FIFA games there were always some weird league tables.
For example if you play Premier League and then check one of the other leagues tables a team might have played 10 games with 7-1-2 Win/Draw/Loose.
If you sim ahead for 1-2 weeks and check the same table, this team might have played 12 games with 11 Wins - 0 Remis - 1 Loss.
So there are some inconsistencies there and I think there is a lot of randomness in there as well.

Would it take longer loading times? I guess so. But is it really that hard to keep some of these stats?

If I compare it to NBA, Madden or even the last NHL I played (which was 2002 I think) they all have much better and deeper stats tracking than FIFA.

If FIFA Manager 2006 was able to sim 50 leagues and keep stats of these players, then FIFA 16 should be able to at least give us consistent league tables and mayber top-scorers/assist leaders.

Hey guys,

sorry to chime in like that. But this career talking got me excited

Well first off. Loading times? Guys, let's be serious. 2k has to simulate 1230 Games a season + up to 105 Playoff games with probably 10+ times as many stats, tendencies and many more. I don't see significant differences between the loading times of the both. With this in mind, FIFA could easily simulate 40 leagues (and I am not talking about the superficial crap they are doing).

I don't know about the Madden Career Mode. But ultimately I don't remember any EA Titel supporting a decent career mode, which is flat out a shame. I remember a Football Manager called Bundesliga Manager from the 90s coming around the corner, with a total demand of 2.3mb space on your hard drive, being deeper than you average EA career. Ok, maybe a little overboard, but not by much.

It is really sad, that the most obvious features are missing. Historic data i.e., stuff you can look back on, being proud what your fantasy ridden digital Ego has accomplished over the past years. Anything, that gets you immersed into the story. There is never anything surprising, something you might think of a couple years later, thinking "yeah, great times, great moment". I am not even talking about the gameplay part of the game, the ever same feeling a game has. I am not even talking about the fact, that it is often harder to play a terrible 2nd tier basement-dweller, than the big time star ensemble Real or the like.

I don't think anything will change. First of all, these guys developing FIFA aren't slightly as enthusiastic about their game than 2k's (or Madden's, I guess?!) are. Second of all, they are just about money (well, who can blame them. It's a sad world nowadays ). I mean there are 12 year old kids telling their mommys to hand out a Benjamin for a couple of digital currency. That's where real money is sitting, not the "few" 60 bucks you spend on the game. It's crazy but understandable. The dilemma is, have the two of them combined and you get FIFA.

The only reason for me to buy FIFA is actually our online league. But I am about to give that up, just because I really want to refuse spending money on this. I actually liked the demo a lot, but I know the demo never plays like the actual game. It never did. And after a couple of weeks I end up being mad, because even winning in this game leaves you being outrages bout the flaws of the game. So tough choice I guess

[Shizz420]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

I just hate that the game sucks when its comes out of the box and we have to wait a month for the bullcrap to be patched.

[infemous]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

I want to boycott FIFA every year, and did between 1999 and 2013 but with the advent of online gaming, PES is just not an alternative these days.

I also want to be able to play my friends, and no-one plays PES like that.

plus every time I've played PES since 2009 the game has had so many flaws its not worth the switch...

However.

FIFA this year has literally nothing appealing beyond the prospect of playing with my friends.

Can anyone name a new feature that is actually good?

New set piece system is garbage. Animations for free kicks and penalties got worse, if that was even possible.

The AI is not noticeably better, nor have they fixed ANY legacy issues regarding tactics or team discipline at least, meaning any AI improvement is again worthless.

There is still a complete ignoring of African countries in their International Squad selection.

Apparently there is ZERO customisation in the Journey, and the Journey is only ONE season. What sort of journey or career is defined by their first season in the league?
Immersion in the journey is fuxed up anyway because they've got the most Nigerian looking brother playing a supposedly mixed race kid lol

Career mode will still be a pile of garbage and unplayable.

So that literally leaves FUT and Online Seasons... Do I want to pay £50 on that?

FIFA Devs are clearly more talented than Madden Devs because at least the game is smooth, and still the closest simulation of the real life sport.. but jesus these people are hamstrung by being EA employees.

[infemous]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

I just think something like that would be damn near impossible in a soccer game. They would have to have dozens of leagues simulating simultaneously. Madden has one league to simulate. I'd imagine that makes it much easier to do.

Besides, if FIFA did it, people would just complain about longer load times.

If we're talking Online shared Career Mode there is a very simple fix. Just make it so all teams have to be in the same league.

They can work on that later. At the moment they just need to show that they are actually listening to their customers.

There are no longer technology limitations like the old Madden dev loved to throw around.

All things lacking or not being included in this game are because they are choosing to ignore it. No excuses.

[timmuh1515]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

I think the main point from the OP is that all teams play the same and that not being addressed year to year is unfortunate.

I know you can set instructions for your team before a match...are you not able to do this for the CPU team?...or does it just not make any difference?

[infemous]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

I think the main point from the OP is that all teams play the same and that not being addressed year to year is unfortunate.

I know you can set instructions for your team before a match...are you not able to do this for the CPU team?...or does it just not make any difference?

both.

The tactics don't make enough of a difference to play style because AI is still modelled the same for every team, and you can't edit cpu tactics in any mode but play now and you need two controllers

[timmuh1515]

Re: Fed up with FIFA devs

Looks like I will be giving PES a real chance this year.