FIFA 12 Discussion Thread

Taken from NeoGAF user brentech from the US gaming magazine EGM:

Anyone else get the new EGM (june 2011) with the article on Fifa12 and the all new engine? Actually kind of interesting. Apparently player wear is going to be a much larger issue, such as taking a few knee knocks will make you susceptible to getting injured when trying to over-extend to get/keep the ball.

Fairly short article, about 1 and half of pages of actual readable content and a bunch of images.
Click to expand...

Just going off what is stated early in the article. "Rather than tell you what we're polishing, we're coming out a bit more aggressive on revolution than evolution," lead producer David Rutter declares as he prepares to show off a first look.....
...[continued]Instead, this is a year for a whole new engine."

It then goes on to say how it's not ready for outsiders to play, but they were allowed to watch. And that Rutter assured them that what is to be seen is the first major overhaul in the franchise in several years.

The article talks about real game instances being shown to them about specific players or happenings on the field, and how they want to make it possible within the game.
Also changing the control over defenders, as they refer to defending in the recent games as "heat-seeking missiles." They plan to change it to a full choice over how close your defender should get and if they should be working angles to cut off the play from off-the-ball runners.
Seems most the physics engine changes are more on how players making contact effects them both in the moment and later in the game. Says the game understands anatomy and joint torque, as as they get worn they're more likely to pull muscles and such.

In terms of how it looks, I assume almost all of the photos are from replay mode with just one being a normal pitch view. Nothing to over the top changed, but the article says they plan to do more complete scans or more players than in the past games.

Also states that players should have a sort of perception cone (the way I read it, it won't actually show up in the game like the Madden QB-cone, but will run behind the scenes in much the same way). They also want the AI to take height/weight match-ups in to consideration. Send headers in when there is a distinct advantage to doing so. Things of that nature.
Click to expand...

In regards to screenshots present in the EGM article:

Small shot of Pepe Reina dropping on the ball.
Two of Barcelona readying a wall against a free kick.
And then a small and a very large shot of Arsenal/Chelsea....the large showing Jack Wilshere between John Terry and Drogba. (it's a 'hotspot' photo where they point out certain changes.)
Click to expand...

Sounds very interesting, especially if they are brining about a new game engine. Thought you guys might be interested in it. :)
 
Also changing the control over defenders, as they refer to defending in the recent games as "heat-seeking missiles." They plan to change it to a full choice over how close your defender should get and if they should be working angles to cut off the play from off-the-ball runners.
Click to expand...
Oooh :SNACK:
 
It will be wait and see but the mentioning of a new engine and a few knocks causing injuries sounds very promising.

Hope it all turns out to be true...
 
I rike it, I rike it. Maybe this time Rutter isn't bullshitting after all. I want big changes and at least in theory it sounds promising. Not feeling the hype yet, but more promising first news than I thought I hear.
 
New engine?

The heat seeking missile thing seems interesting, well wouldn't surprise me if they simply copied the PES 2011 system!
 
As usual with every EA game I'm not going to make a judgement until I haven't played the game myself.

Good day!
 
EA always talk a good game... They acknowledged that ping-pong passing was a problem in the past, and didn't fix it, and most of their main gameplay features have been almost non-existant. Also their "three-year plan" for Manager Mode and promised improvements all failed miserably, pretty much all of their PR/hyping up for all of the previous titles I can remember can be proved to be bullshit.

I don't believe for a minute that they've built a new engine for the gameplay or they they'll make defending a tactical battle - why alienate so many casuals?
The new "engine" is probably just for a little part of the game rather than the actual core the game is based upon.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Northzzz said:
They refer to defending as 'heat seeking missiles'. I'm pretty happy they acknowledged that.
Click to expand...

True, the fact that it's being done to calculate cutting off passing angles with positioning is encouraging. I'm still not getting excited though. Sure, they refer to defending as heat seeking missiles, but I can't see EA correcting the majority of the reasons why the AI, or players online, can defend so easily - limitless stamina for sprinting, crazily fast turning cirlces and acceleration, and in the AI's case, massively overpowering the physical challenges. Problem is, this would surely not only need a re-write of the way defending works, but the whole engine from top to bottom, as the worst 'person' for playing in this heat seeking missile way of defending is the AI itself.

As for physical challenges creating injury problems ie. muscle tears etc, I can see this being a big annoyance, given how overpowered the AI is in such challenges. Plus, its almost guaranteed not to work properly in CM.....
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure whether I should be excited about the prospect of a new engine, since I haven't particularly enjoyed the last two editions and change could be good, or whether I should be worried, since I felt they still had plenty of incentive to work out the kinks in the last engine and who's to say this new engine won't have worse problems of its own.
 
I just hope they work on making individual attributes mean something this time around.
 
Last edited:
mfmaxpower said:
I'm not sure whether I should be excited about the prospect of a new engine, since I haven't particularly enjoyed the last two editions and change could be good, or whether I should be worried, since I felt they still had plenty of incentive to work out the kinks in the last engine and who's to say this new engine won't have worse problems of its own.
Click to expand...

At the same time, it's not like they have started all over again. That would take 4-5 years. It sound to me like they have done something similar to what their NHL game did recently, and that was to implement a customised version of the fight night physics engine. This way they have more information on all different body parts and can make contacts between bodies more dynamic. Since this new physics engine will have effect on most things in the game, I think it's enough to say it's a new engine since they have to adjust everything that has to do with some kind of contact and animations.

I don't think there is a completely new and rewritten AI system for example. They probably do as usual, scrap some things and rewrite - and some things only continues to improve.

That's my take on this anyway.
 
All sounds lovely but who trusts David Rutter these days? Year after year of hyperbole and broken promises, sure he's not quite as blatant a liar as Ian Jarvis but it's close.
 
Does seem a coincidence that the first stuff out of his mouth is exactly what we have been moaning about. I have to say i agree with Rob, they've spotted the problems with the game in 9 and 10 they just didn't solve anything.

Lets not forget this is the team that had a balanced Clubs mode with its only fault being a glitch that made it unbalanced.

Their solution? Make the official mode the glitch from the year before.

They are amazing at listening to feedback and regurgitating it back to us.

They are hopeless at understanding why its a problem and solving it.

Happy to be proven wrong.
 
New engine... Rutter horse shit.

We've been told in the past that AI players make 1000 decisions per second, apparently. Ummm....ok.

In FIFA11, I tried tinkering to the extreme with the AI tactical options, making a team first 100% fast attacking long ball, then tried them on 100% slow build up with short passing. It had precisely zero effect on how they actually played. Every team plays identically.

Personality Plus....woteva...

One simple thing they could do to improve the game is to slow it down by about 15%.

Any change to the current defending system would be an improvement, although, knowing EA, they'll change the way it works for humans but I am confident the AI defending will still be heat-seeking missle with 100% success rate.

Ditto with AI passing.
 
winston said:
New engine... Rutter horse shit.

We've been told in the past that AI players make 1000 decisions per second, apparently. Ummm....ok.

In FIFA11, I tried tinkering to the extreme with the AI tactical options, making a team first 100% fast attacking long ball, then tried them on 100% slow build up with short passing. It had precisely zero effect on how they actually played. Every team plays identically.

Personality Plus....woteva...

One simple thing they could do to improve the game is to slow it down by about 15%.

Any change to the current defending system would be an improvement, although, knowing EA, they'll change the way it works for humans but I am confident the AI defending will still be heat-seeking missle with 100% success rate.

Ditto with AI passing.
Click to expand...

Winston, I'd say there 's more personality in your post than there has even been in FIFA,!
 
The french magazine stuff sounds promising (from the stuff I can understand) but reading stuff about EA and FIFA in the past, its a lot more talk than action. I'm hoping this isn't the case this year.
 
To be quite honest refining the passing system is a must. There's nothing broken about it but all players are equally good at it, as has been said many times players with better passing stats don't stand out at all. They need to define accuracy, rather than just that power nonsense thing that they have at the moment.
 
I'm surprised that nobody seems to have a problem with the current passing speed in FIFA11. Admittedly I've come from playing PES2011 recently but the passing in FIFA is so hellishly slow.

We all know the issues with lack of space and constant turn overs in possession but this really isn't helped by the fact that by the time a pass reaches it's intended target there are 2 oppossing players on top of your player.
 
I'm almost certain that Rutter claimed in the build up to Fifa11 that AI pressure, and people abusing this online, was going ro be radically toned down in response to complaints about Fifa10. We mysteriously ended up getting the opposite - more pressuring. So yeah, whatever EA say in the build up is complete and utter fantasy.
 
Fifasoccerblog said:
"From the Official Playstation Magazine, here are the first details of FIFA 12:

* New camera will be noticeably closer to the ground,
* New menu interface that appear to be simpler and more ergonomic soft,
* Evolution and calculating actions in real time,
* Integration of Impact Zone, which should limit the number of contacts present in very crappy FIFA 11,
* New Vision IA game more developed that should influence the players’ passes,
* Re-balancing between attack and defense, as well as the players and the players more powerful techniques,
* New presentation of games that looks very inspired matches English
* Possibility of injury, type and other strains (ie without contact with the enemy) if abused too much of a player, especially late in the game,
* Location of injury if a player takes a nudge, it will touch the face. The AI ​​will also keep track of the shot during the remainder of the match …
* Three new arenas,
* Coming soon …

Impact Zone: It is defined as the integration of new contact areas on the players. Hips, knees, etc. …

AI Vision Game: I understand it as an AI more human. Each player will have a more or less according to his abilities. The example given in the magazine, you have a player who sees Fabregas stand out before him and behind him. There will be more easier to find the path visible in his eyes. He will be careful now in the eyes of the player and thus its position rather than the human eye which directs."
Click to expand...

Hope makes the world go round... or is that money? :)
 
stuartyd said:
I'm surprised that nobody seems to have a problem with the current passing speed in FIFA11. Admittedly I've come from playing PES2011 recently but the passing in FIFA is so hellishly slow.

We all know the issues with lack of space and constant turn overs in possession but this really isn't helped by the fact that by the time a pass reaches it's intended target there are 2 oppossing players on top of your player.
Click to expand...

Well that was their response to 'ping pong passing' - make it slower so it's not as easy to abuse when the real problem was the accuracy being so high and usually always to feet, even in situations (i.e awkward positions, poor players) when it shouldn't have been.
 
Also in case it's not painfully obvious what is going to be on the back of the box this year.

'AI VISION GAME'

'IMPACT ZONE'
 
"Evolution and calculating actions in real time"

Anyone knows what that means? I hope it's something awesome since that list didn't make me jump of joy.

Edit: Ok here is a list with better translation:

  • FIFA 12 introduces the 'Impact Engine' which properly tracks and formulates contact between players, including their hips, knees etc.
  • The AI will also keep track of areas of the body players have been injured during a match. Players can also become injured off the ball if abused too much, especially late in the game.
  • FIFA 12 also introduces 'AI Vision Game' (rough translation), which promises to make passing more realistic. If you try to complete a pass to a player that's not within visible range, for example, it's less likely you'll complete the pass. EA hopes this will get rid of "blind passing".
  • Personality Plus is more developed and should influence AI players' passes this time.
  • AI is said to be "more human", with each player acting more or less according to his abilities. One example given is when an AI player sees Fabregas coming towards him with the ball, he'll act more carefully.
  • OPM describes "new presentation" of matches in FIFA 12, which are said to be very much inspired by English football crowds.
  • The game includes three new arenas, this time with integrated benches along the sidelines and "impressive lighting effects" according to OPM France.
  • Integration of a new short dribble with the left stick.
  • The game features a new camera that's noticeably closer to the ground.
  • There's also a new menu interface that appears to be simpler and more ergonomic than before.
Click to expand...

The part about Fabregas is something I have given feedback about on the official forums but never got any feedback on from anyone else. I've asked for something like giving players dynamic confidence depending on who they are up against and it seems like they have implemented something similar. The cool thing about it is the potential for it to be dynamic through out the game, so if you manage to get around an AI player a lot he might start to back off more etc. This way tactics can change without being scripted depending on what seems to be weaknesses in the other team. They might not go that far for FIFA 12, but they seem to be going in that direction.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom