Changelog & Updates:
Timestamp: 9/30/25
Here is the Version 1.5 Beta
The main focus of this set is to slow some things down, while still making the pitch compact and still allowing room to breathe in some spots. Teams with low blocks was a big focus in that they are not just going to give up so much space, the line of confrontation is started sooner to increase engagement and resistance.
There are still some values we are learning about such as Tackle Assistance, but there just doesn't seem to be any correlating animations for this slider element just yet. We continue to test on Tactical to ensure variety.
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Here is a general summary of each Gameplay area and explanation of slider values chosen:
► Player Speed
The Sprint Speed value was raised to reduce the jogging animation, which is why acceleration also went down to balance out the increase in sprint speed. We do not want players giving up in the middle of defensive moments of the game, for example, and if the value is under 38, it seems most players have a chance of producing the jogging animation at the wrong time. At least at 38, the majority of players will continue into their sprinting animation.
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Shooting
No changes here. The values chosen here are first prioritized by shot speed and GK ability in the Goalkeeping area/section. For example at 48 shot speed, the keeper would make saves that resulted in deflections to be minimal and not be pushed far enough away at times. The balance of raising shot speed + shot error results in powerful shots that can vary with poor contact or good contact but slightly missed, etc. Overall, this makes for some dynamic goal scoring moments.
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Passing
We reviewed the pass speed and error from the previous version and at the end of the day, we decided it's going to be personal preference. At 40 pass speed, we know it has quite a bit of pace to it, even if the ball is more alive - it has to be balanced with a higher pass error to reduce the driven ball effect. Some of us like 38 pass speed, which means the pass error can go down a couple notches from 78. The best feel of pace of the ball has been found on 36 where the ball moves clean on the pitch, with some slight bobbles. The ball in the air also stays a bit longer. The issue that comes with the pass speed is possible that the CPU opts for driven passes to compensate. Pair that up with a lower FT control (will address on here), there are times where it doesn't seem as realistic at what feels like perfect ball control on driven passes. Keep in mind, the chosen option of Sprint/Acc can also impact the pass speed and error. A higher Sprint/Acc can mean the CPU feels a bit more empowered and the ball can move faster as a result.
►Injuries
Injuries just don't seem to happen very often, and when they do, they don't last very long. This is a value used in previous FC/FIFA's, so we're just going with it again for now. There has been talk about increasing the values.
►Goalkeeping
GK Ability is a strange but welcomed value this iteration as FIFA/FC has always had issues with keepers. This year they seem to good, and that's not a bad thing. We lowered the value to match the shot speed which produces realistic deflections when parrying the ball, but also some room to catch the ball on weaker shots. My gut feeling is the shot speed may need to go up at this same 45 gk value as there have been times I have seen hard shots be killed dead mid-air.
►Team Positioning
The main value that stands out here is the height discrepancy. This was something that was created out of frustration with the low block/deep teams that have holding midfielders sitting directly in front of the defensive line when the opponent is building up from the back. This gives up too much space, and reduces the chance of the any type of resistance in the midfield. So, the initial adjustment was leaving the User's HLW side at 'default' authentic (55/30/55), but raising the CPU's height only to 60, then scaling to 70, allowed the holding midfielders to push up the line of confrontation. From moving to right in front of the defensive line - all the way up to before the middle third of the pitch.
Before: The holding midfielders are still several yards back from engaging immediately at height 55.
After: The holding midfielders now engage further up the pitch.
From there, the other adjustments from User and CPU were made to allow a bit more overlap and increasing the line of confrontation throughout the pitch. Length was an adjustment to ensure more bodies stayed in front of the passing lanes on both sides.
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Ball Control
No changes here as the same issues with the FT control as mentioned previously. Overall, there is a mix of needing to control the ball and reduce some awkward animations. At higher FT Control values, the ball tends to just bounce up constantly and the player has to take 3-4 touches before settling. The interception and ball deflection error values were good at default, and are brought more to focus due to the ball being more alive.
►Defending
No changes, but we definitely took the time to scale and test the values relative to different Sprint/Acc values. Tackle assistance is interesting and honestly it needs a lot of testing, which we just haven't had as much yet because it seems relative to the other slider values.