FIFA 23 Discussion Thread (Console Versions)

[manmachine]

I used to "play football" on the carpet with all my toy soldiers, a marble and Duplo made goals. And now that I think of it - it was exactly like Fifa since 1v1 was implemented - I had (and still have ) only two hands, so I could move only two "players" at the time, while the rest stood still.

Haha exactly. When I wanted to do a through ball I would have to manually move the checker running into space behind the defence, and then switch to the checker attempting the through ball and with the other hand to the defender attempting to block the pass and see whoever prevailed! See, there was actually 1000% more strategic thinking going into my game of football with checkers than in any modern video game.

 

[Matt10]

From a "realism" standpoint and a "fun" standpoint respectively (because they are independent of each other), do you really think this FIFA is better than e.g. FIFA 14 through FIFA 18?

That looks like I'm being sarcastic - I'm not, it's a genuine question, because... Well, all of this is obviously subjective, but literally all those negatives you mention are better in FIFA 16, for example. In my opinion. I'd be interested to know more of your opinion here, because I'm really surprised at this statement.

Maybe you think 23 is more fun because of the tweaks from last year, and I can understand that (though I don't agree with it, it's understandable). Maybe you don't want to "live in the past" and you want a more responsive game with more new features, for example. I get that, and all football games are some kind of balance between the two worlds of "fun" and "realistic" / "restrictive".

But personally, I think to call this "the best FIFA has ever been" because of e.g. "off-the-ball mannerisms and emotions" is... honestly, IMO, crazy talk. Truly crazy talk. We're on Evo-Web because of our passion for a game that put gameplay first, so I'm really surprised to see that on your list of positives, and to see you rate this FIFA more highly than those of the post-PS2, pre-Frostbite era.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes I do think FIFA 16 is praised too highly (honestly, I think the animation speed and ball speed are both far too fast, even on slow, whether on v1 or any of the updates). But even with its flaws in mind... There are far fewer than there are with 23. In my opinion.

Now, Chris, I didn't say it's the best it's ever been because of only "off-the-ball...", I gave an entire list that builds towards that. I'd agree with you that would be crazy talk. The irony is that I would never have noticed those off-the-ball mannerisms if I wasn't enjoying the gameplay. It made me uncertain in thinking "has this stuff been here all along?" - and I still wonder.

Furthermore, and a significant point, is that I'm approaching that list AFTER sliders have been implemented. Let's make that clear because my opinion on those games you mention are also after sliders have been exhausted.

They each had their faults, and some of those faults were significant - and very tough to get over. I may not want to live in the past because I remember how tough it was to get over some of those basic fundamentals in which the sliders wouldn't even get near touching. From my perspective, I can adjust a value in 23 and know exactly what it does, because there is immediate feedback on it. FIFA 16 didn't even do that. Look throughout the OS threads, which serve as documentation of gameplay for these iterations of FIFA.

FIFA 16
https://forums.operationsports.com/...ders/855682-fifa-16-os-community-sliders.html

FIFA 18
https://forums.operationsports.com/...ders/915625-fifa-18-os-community-sliders.html

FIFA 14
- So old, they removed my sliders thread lol. Here's the final slider set I had for it, which explained my thoughts at the time.

Look at each of those threads and there are resounding themes. Each of them had the issue of the defenders not meeting attackers, which is so significant that it works this year. That just builds the resistance we've craved. Two of the three had DAA (defensive angle animation) which were big issues. Each of those games had the dribble-dribble-pass mentality from the CPU, with FIFA 16 being slightly less with that approach - especially ootb - absolutely brilliant and I remember how much we would get giddy like girls whenever a long-ball was performed. FIFA 14 had the very common tendency, especially on Legendary, for the CPU to chip a ball over the top as their route one. FIFA 16 route one was driven passes, which is the first year that was introduced. FIFA 18, with its small ball size, had a whole host of issues, in particular the directness to the strikers - who are then left alone because defenders won't meet them.

Each of those FIFA versions you mention took a lot of work to accomplish what FIFA 23, with sliders, is doing. I'm not blowing smoke up EA's butt, and I'm not boasting FIFA Operation Sports sliders. I'm saying that with obvious slider values, the items on that list have been accomplished. Basically the tool we've been given works, and we're seeing a different game than I thought had ever had a chance of appearing when I had the beta.

 

[Antoine]

Its not a bad football game.

The range of motions are great, if the ball could bounce a bit more and bobble a bit that would make the physics excellent.
I like the keepers, its just on occasion they will pull their hands in a bit too much on low drilled shots.
The pitches are good with the grass and marks
The presentation is top notch
The players run much better than the stick like thin people we had the last few years

The thing I absolutely abhor, that ruins this game is the skatey nature of the players when receiving and turning. Its bloody ridiculous and its about time we had decent foot planting in Fifa.

Also of course the players movement in regards to shape and tactics. It annoys me when players don't make runs and you have to keep triggering them. it annoys me when my players don't track runners.

I haven't tried @Matt10 new sliders on slow yet so maybe that will fix some issues.

 

[Chris Davies]

A few things that I don't think are mentioned often, while we're on the subject of comparisons to old games.

Again, if I go and play 2010 FIFA World Cup now (and I really recommend everyone does, it's still a really solid football game) - seriously, try playing as a 4-star team versus a 5-star team and then versus a 1-star team, on World Class (can't remember if it applies to Legendary too).

The results still shock me, where I just can't beat the likes of France, but San Marino can't string enough passes together to progress. When did we lose that, and why?

I associate this with all teams/players becoming very similar to each other, so that most passes/shots meet the player's expectation (i.e. trying a long pass with a poor-passing CB, the pass going in a "wonky" direction and being picked up by the opponent, and letting them in - without the need for sliders to mess with ALL passes).

Plus, as @Antoine says - there was a time (especially in PES) where your tactics made such a difference that a change of formation really did change the outcome (enabling you to take advantage of the space). I don't see that happening any more, and I assume that's because gamers are generally lazy and just pick the formation that lets all their star players play, with no adjustments for the opponent.

Remember this guy? This is how important your setup used to be:

Now I really don't think your setup matters. When did that importance disappear from the gameplay?

I can only think it's to simplify everything for the online play, particularly FUT, where you don't want to leave a star player on the bench because your setup doesn't suit the opponent.

 

[vialli82]

Tactics is a bad example in Fifa as it has never been advanced, and hard to settle.
I give up to put instructions to my players since forever.
Only settle formation and that's all.

Check on FIFA 08 to 11 (12 don't remember) and you'll see how restricted is it, i don't even know if you may settle counter attack or possession or pressing game.
FIFA 14 is less about tactics, but a bit of add it seem in comparison to the 4 or 5 first "playable" Fifa with the 13 too.
Seems like formations on some games got a pre-determinated style of play, and player plays regarding their strength and avoid weakness.

Also Players instructions cames on PS4 versions and still there. There's more solutions right now, but the big issue is it's not easy to settle at all. At least for me, it's like when we complained the menus navigation in FIFA PS3 : it wasn't "instantaneous" and some simple stuffs where settle under the under menus.

No about current tactics it's a real pain, i personally given up from a long time except the formation.
Perhaps yes, the lack of accessibility of those advanced instructions makes people giving up.

Edit: i take a look, there's 3 tactics style with numbers on older Fifa, but no different playing style (like "pressing 54") , which is to me much more important for the variety :
like "Slow Build up" or Fast, Possession game, Quick counter, Hard Pressing, balanced, etc. for both attack and defense, + a number to assign + players individual tactics.

To me it's smarter and more footballistc... But the game to me doesn't really reproduce whatever you assign so, i don't even know what serves some of those instructions.
But we can't say that on the paper, there's less instructions, and tactic variety than before. Just that i don't even know if they got an impact in game for some settings looking at the game philosophy.

Hard Pressing : players will advance by a step but recoil when you're advancing against him

 

[Emroth]

A few things that I don't think are mentioned often, while we're on the subject of comparisons to old games.

Again, if I go and play 2010 FIFA World Cup now (and I really recommend everyone does, it's still a really solid football game) - seriously, try playing as a 4-star team versus a 5-star team and then versus a 1-star team, on World Class (can't remember if it applies to Legendary too).

The results still shock me, where I just can't beat the likes of France, but San Marino can't string enough passes together to progress. When did we lose that, and why?

I associate this with all teams/players becoming very similar to each other, so that most passes/shots meet the player's expectation (i.e. trying a long pass with a poor-passing CB, the pass going in a "wonky" direction and being picked up by the opponent, and letting them in - without the need for sliders to mess with ALL passes).

Plus, as @Antoine says - there was a time (especially in PES) where your tactics made such a difference that a change of formation really did change the outcome (enabling you to take advantage of the space). I don't see that happening any more, and I assume that's because gamers are generally lazy and just pick the formation that lets all their star players play, with no adjustments for the opponent.

Remember this guy? This is how important your setup used to be:

Now I really don't think your setup matters. When did that importance disappear from the gameplay?

I can only think it's to simplify everything for the online play, particularly FUT, where you don't want to leave a star player on the bench because your setup doesn't suit the opponent.

This is big part if the problem.
It really belongs to the other, feedback thread, but someone, I think @hitmanuk, said the other day that we should stop this simulation talks, because none of the old games were simulations.
That got me thinking. What do we mean by simulation? Is Hitmans definition of simulation different than mine? Do we actually agree on what do we perceive as a simulation?
For me, a simulation is a representation of some functioning system, in this case - football, as a sport. Its not a football player simulation that Im after. I dont need over complicated inertia and balance like, lets say, Death Stranding had.
I dont need some insane ball phisics that would make the ball almost impossible to aim at the target.

People think that when we talk about simulation - we expect some miracles.
But thats not true. Football game simulation is supposed to simulate functioning system of football matches. Its supposed to represent the game it tries to replicate.

Yes - old games were limited in movement and physics and whatnot, but they were, in my opinion, football simulations. They had all the basics of sport they represented. AI that was reacting to out moves, they forced us to think, stats mattered, tactics mattered, players had their individuality. When you zoom out and look pass the limitations - you felt like you were participating in a football match. Even COM vs COM matches were entertaining.

Nowadays we have this mutated version of football, where all players and teams play the same, stats are there just for the sake of it and players are dribbling the ball with the speed of light.

So when you say that we never had a football simulation - id argue that we were so close to it that we didnt really need to make them more sim, in order to keep them fun.

 

[vialli82]

Yes, that's what i said in the previous post but probably no one has read it (perhaps ignored, too long, whatever) : more tactics, more playing style, + individual instructions but less impact. It was already the only thing which was less good in Fifa PS3 than PES PS3...
Now how does those instructions serve? As the core limits too much players to goes on pressure, or whatever else especially defending?

 

[hitmanuk]

This is big part if the problem.
It really belongs to the other, feedback thread, but someone, I think @hitmanuk, said the other day that we should stop this simulation talks, because none of the old games were simulations.
That got me thinking. What do we mean by simulation? Is Hitmans definition of simulation different than mine? Do we actually agree on what do we perceive as a simulation?
For me, a simulation is a representation of some functioning system, in this case - football, as a sport. Its not a football player simulation that Im after. I dont need over complicated inertia and balance like, lets say, Death Stranding had.
I dont need some insane ball phisics that would make the ball almost impossible to aim at the target.

People think that when we talk about simulation - we expect some miracles.
But thats not true. Football game simulation is supposed to simulate functioning system of football matches. Its supposed to represent the game it tries to replicate.

Yes - old games were limited in movement and physics and whatnot, but they were, in my opinion, football simulations. They had all the basics of sport they represented. AI that was reacting to out moves, they forced us to think, stats mattered, tactics mattered, players had their individuality. When you zoom out and look pass the limitations - you felt like you were participating in a football match. Even COM vs COM matches were entertaining.

Nowadays we have this mutated version of football, where all players and teams play the same, stats are there just for the sake of it and players are dribbling the ball with the speed of light.

So when you say that we never had a football simulation - id argue that we were so close to it that we didnt really need to make them more sim, in order to keep them fun.

My idea of simulation is simulating the essence of football and does it bring similar excitement to watching a game without being obviously a game e.g can I lose myself in it for an hour. FIFA 22 and FIFA 23 gives me this. WE 5, 6,7 and 9 PES 17, 20 and 21 in different ways gave me that until 20 and 21 were destroyed by patches. EA euro 08 also was a great game but they all have elements that don't make it a sim weather it be no fouls , fullbacks not pushing up playing everyone onside, floaty goals , skipping animations. If you close enough there will be something. For me FIFA 23 satisfys that need. What slightly bugs me is the FIFA negativity for the likes of sliders and yet for PES its OK to move every player about to try and create some form of midfield. Each to their own

 

[hitmanuk]

Yes, that's what i said in the previous post but probably no one has read it (perhaps ignored, too long, whatever) : more tactics, more playing style, + individual instructions but less impact. It was already the only thing which was less good in Fifa PS3 than PES PS3...
Now how does those instructions serve? As the core limits too much players to goes on pressure, or whatever else especially defending?

Instructions work well I always set my fullbacks to stay back and they do reducing the space behind, same for CDMs . The double tap R1 works really well for tracking runners too. I've also found the power shot with throughball does a faster over the top rhrough ball which is nice

 

[saturator]

This FIFA is not a sim game but damned i have a lot of fun with it. I know i'm the only one but who cares?

Some nice matchs i think. I love playing these matchs. The rythme, the variety of attacking, the croisés, the emotion, the crowds, nice job EA Animations are really really greats. No perfect but playable.

Real - Barca

PSG - OL

Liverpool Vs Chelsea

Brésil Vs Argentine

Juventus Vs As Roma

 

[vialli82]

My idea of simulation is simulating the essence of football and does it bring similar excitement to watching a game without being obviously a game e.g can I lose myself in it for an hour.

About simulation yes, but it's something i really don't want. Tactics should be easy to settle and simple to put in place... Simulation, i don't like that word.
But for an Action-Football game such as we played before it's okay : Except than you can't save tactics like you want. Even 200 tactics is doable why not?
Not a question of memory or stuff like that, any console since X360 can store something as simple like this.

My (own) view is :
It's not a Manager game and you also control your players, tactics are less important than your skills in game. But for example, in older PES / Even if a player got a principal playing style like "Classic N10", you should be able to say "no, he will play like a common MOC"...

BUT also assign a style to a player who don't get it : a tall youth for example, you may assign it Post Player. You will loose reactivity but if he got the necessary stats he will play under consign you assigned to him.

 

[Emroth]

My idea of simulation is simulating the essence of football and does it bring similar excitement to watching a game without being obviously a game e.g can I lose myself in it for an hour. FIFA 22 and FIFA 23 gives me this. WE 5, 6,7 and 9 PES 17, 20 and 21 in different ways gave me that until 20 and 21 were destroyed by patches. EA euro 08 also was a great game but they all have elements that don't make it a sim weather it be no fouls , fullbacks not pushing up playing everyone onside, floaty goals , skipping animations. If you close enough there will be something. For me FIFA 23 satisfys that need. What slightly bugs me is the FIFA negativity for the likes of sliders and yet for PES its OK to move every player about to try and create some form of midfield. Each to their own

And thats fair enough. Its an individual perception and to me and those that agree with me - all recent FIFA games lost it when they implemented 1v1. They lost the whole purpose and idea of football, which is 11v11 team sport.
But like you said - each to their own.

As for sliders - im personally all for them. I also play FUMA as you know.
But at this stage sliders need to be revised and a lot more added for us to be able to truly customise the game to our liking.

We cant have a situation that I cant lower Acceleration slider below 48 otherwise no one will ever get tired in the game. And there are many situations like that, where sliders are breaking some other part of the gameplay.
We need
- AI aggression slider
- AI pressure slider
- Stamina Slider
...and many more. I could not care less whether the game online is designed for 1v1 if I had AI aggression/pressure slider which would make AI to come at me offline, instead of being standofish. As long as it worked as intended.
Games like NBA2K.. are giving you endless options to customise your gameplay. Why do we still have an ancient set of sliders in which half of them dont even react to the new engine?

 

[vialli82]

Instructions work well I always set my fullbacks to stay back and they do reducing the space behind, same for CDMs . The double tap R1 works really well for tracking runners too. I've also found the power shot with throughball does a faster over the top rhrough ball which is nice

But can you make a Gegenpressing on FIFA 23? Sincerely? I don't think it's doable. It wasn't on FIFA 22, more a Gengen "LILD" pressing.

@Emroth the thing is sliders are old and the same since a long time.

FIFA needs more intelligent condensed sliders;
There's already a lot of sliders. I think 2 or 4 BIG MAX more is okay, but that's not the solution.
So, different and more focused sliders is to me the best solution. Acceleration not linked with stamina etc., but yes Stamina is a more than needed one.

For injury severity, i would prefers to got multiple referee with ratings on 3 or 4 for the balance but not too much particularity, keeping it simple (example vision, severity, penalty or X stuffs i don't know)

Also i'm not "against" the idea, but i said it's a perpetual change i don't want, regarding new patchs stuffs, i like stability for X reasons...

And we all want a Vanilla game playable aswell online than offline. For not loosing some skills you earn while playing against the CPU. Well i got a different view as i was mixed between Season and CPU, more league and cup than Career to be honest. Never been a fan of (old) career more, it's lifeless. Now things have changed, so i would have give it a go but you know... We won't repeat yourself.

Never ever played FUT in counterpart, i always hated that system for a thousand reasons. Same as Myclub/Dreamteam and all shit on sports games.

 

[hitmanuk]

You can set your team to constant pressure in the defence style..not.sure if that's what you want

 

[darkoj2007]

But can you make a Gegenpressing on FIFA 23? Sincerely? I don't think it's doable. It wasn't on FIFA 22, more a Gengen "LILD" pressing.

Yes you can. you can experience that also if playing against liverpool, arsenal, barcelona, bayern. No matter what people say that tactics in fifa does not matter, belive me it does, at least in fifa 23. If you use weaker team and use constant pressure against these teams I mentioned you will be destroyed. You have to adapt tactics to soak that pressure and counter attack. Belive me this works in this years game...

 

[tomjaz]

it's really hard for me to watch fifa 23 and I can't even watch sliders... it doesn't look like football to me unfortunately. The more I watch this, the funnier it is to watch. It's still PES 21's closest thing to football, which is unfortunately an untapped potential again. I'm hoping for at least 2k, if there's anything to it.

 

[vialli82]

I believe you @darkoj2007 just that i didn't saw a single pressing for the CPU, which probably got "gegenpressing" in their panel.
Not even a pressing for players on vids. I need to see it, and i thrust you, but never the way the real one is represented due to the game core.

 

[darkoj2007]

I believe you @darkoj2007 just that i didn't saw a single pressing for the CPU, which probably got "gegenpressing" in their panel.
Not even a pressing for players on vids. I need to see it, and i thrust you, but never the way the real one is represented due to the game core.

Many videos you see on youtube actually were on lower difficulty to show skills and goals, even carrer streams too. I tell you fro my experience becouse I tested this during the past weekend. Played agaunst Barcelona with Osasuna then with Real Madrid. Two totally different games, with Osasuna I was defending almost all the time and barely shot 2-3 times on goal. With Real Madrid I was defending too but it was much easier to defend and execute counter attacks with Rodrygo and Vinicius and score 2 goals. Don't get me wrong it isn't perfect but this year I see that actually it works.

 

[saturator]

Many videos you see on youtube actually were on lower difficulty to show skills and goals, even carrer streams too. I tell you fro my experience becouse I tested this during the past weekend. Played agaunst Barcelona with Osasuna then with Real Madrid. Two totally different games, with Osasuna I was defending almost all the time and barely shot 2-3 times on goal. With Real Madrid I was defending too but it was much easier to defend and execute counter attacks with Rodrygo and Vinicius and score 2 goals. Don't get me wrong it isn't perfect but this year I see that actually it works.

Exactly. This year Clermont didn't play like PSG. It's a first time i saw a real different between top 5 of each League versus the others. Beating PSG with a low team it's a miracle.
I didn't see that on the beta.

Other thing, in the last quarter, if AI is losing, a big pressing is coming. They spoke about that in a pitch note, it's real.

 

[Topaz]

A few things that I don't think are mentioned often, while we're on the subject of comparisons to old games.

Again, if I go and play 2010 FIFA World Cup now (and I really recommend everyone does, it's still a really solid football game) - seriously, try playing as a 4-star team versus a 5-star team and then versus a 1-star team, on World Class (can't remember if it applies to Legendary too).

The results still shock me, where I just can't beat the likes of France, but San Marino can't string enough passes together to progress. When did we lose that, and why?

I associate this with all teams/players becoming very similar to each other, so that most passes/shots meet the player's expectation (i.e. trying a long pass with a poor-passing CB, the pass going in a "wonky" direction and being picked up by the opponent, and letting them in - without the need for sliders to mess with ALL passes).

Plus, as @Antoine says - there was a time (especially in PES) where your tactics made such a difference that a change of formation really did change the outcome (enabling you to take advantage of the space). I don't see that happening any more, and I assume that's because gamers are generally lazy and just pick the formation that lets all their star players play, with no adjustments for the opponent.

Remember this guy? This is how important your setup used to be:

Now I really don't think your setup matters. When did that importance disappear from the gameplay?

I can only think it's to simplify everything for the online play, particularly FUT, where you don't want to leave a star player on the bench because your setup doesn't suit the opponent.

Good to know I am not the only one that thought FIFA World Cup 2010 nailed the difficulty aspect of matches. Difficulty should definitely be more akin to the team rating difference between your team and the opponent's team. It should not make teams like India or Qatar play like Prime Barca with 90% pass completion due to you picking Legendary as the difficulty. I cannot find any other game that does difficulty that well. Also interestingly enough, FIFA 10 or FIFA 11 did not have this type of difficulty system.

 

[Nisoley]

Good to know I am not the only one that thought FIFA World Cup 2010 nailed the difficulty aspect of matches. Difficulty should definitely be more akin to the team rating difference between your team and the opponent's team. It should not make teams like India or Qatar play like Prime Barca with 90% pass completion due to you picking Legendary as the difficulty. I cannot find any other game that does difficulty that well. Also interestingly enough, FIFA 10 or FIFA 11 did not have this type of difficulty system.

I remember one particular game of FIFA World Cup 2010. I played the South American qualifying round with Uruguay and I had an away match against Bolivia. I lost this game 7:1 and you know why? EA implemented that you lost more stamina in Bolivia because of the height. Unbelievable, I'll never forget this game.

 

[Chris Davies]

I remember one particular game of FIFA World Cup 2010. I played the South American qualifying round with Uruguay and I had an away match against Bolivia. I lost this game 7:1 and you know why? EA implemented that you lost more stamina in Bolivia because of the height. Unbelievable, I'll never forget this game.

I'd totally forgotten about that.

Lots of attributes for this stuff can still be found in the code it you crack open the gameplay files on PC. Unfortunately, I think the majority are turned off.

There's some brilliant ones regarding AI. I'll never forget finding a variable along the lines of "time it takes for team to trust teammate who has just made a bad pass"...

 

[Topaz]

I remember one particular game of FIFA World Cup 2010. I played the South American qualifying round with Uruguay and I had an away match against Bolivia. I lost this game 7:1 and you know why? EA implemented that you lost more stamina in Bolivia because of the height. Unbelievable, I'll never forget this game.

Wait seriously? That's some attention to details by the devs. I do believe that was the peak when it comes to the excellence of programmers working there.

 

[Mathgamer]

😏

 

[Chris Davies]

😏

Siri, show me why one gameplay model can never possibly please offline and online players:

...and these are the guys who will influence the next year's worth of tweaks. Sigh.

If these guys are so desperate to play a 1v1 eSport, why the fucking hell (sorry, but why) are they playing an 11v11 game based on a REAL sport.

 

[Chris Davies]

@Matt10, are you not finding that (with or without your sliders - but the video below is with your v4 sliders)...

...every AI team, on World Class or Legendary, just passes to the furthest-forward player ASAP?

No midfield, no dribbling even - just aggressively ping-pong passing to the striker, mostly in ruler-straight lines through the centre, from the whistle? It's the most horribly basic AI I've experienced in FIFA:



Never mind "midfielders don't track back", the midfield just doesn't exist defensively.

This is one example but I've already uploaded two others, where you can clearly see the AI just passing FORWARD-FORWARD-FORWARD in straight lines - the white team in both clips:





This is just basketball, with or without sliders, with all teams, for me. I'm using all your slider recommendations (including controller settings) - is this not happening to you constantly? If not, what could I be doing wrong?

Over at Operation Sports, at least one other person is having the same issue:

 

[Topaz]

Why can't they make a different game for E-Sport? Also why would EA improve a game for E-Sport, when E-Sport accounts for less of a target audience ratio compared to even Career Mode players and they can't be bothered to improve the experience for Career Mode players. I think the Product and Development team in EA Sports needs to be fired. They are literally destroying their own game.

 

[Anth James]

@Matt10, are you not finding that (with or without your sliders - but the video below is with your v4 sliders)...

...every AI team, on World Class or Legendary, just passes to the furthest-forward player ASAP?

No midfield, no dribbling even - just aggressively ping-pong passing to the striker, mostly in ruler-straight lines through the centre, from minute one? It's the most horribly basic AI (as bad as PES 2020/2021's constant "centre-back smashes perfect 100-yard pass to striker" all game long):



Never mind "midfielders don't track back", the midfield just doesn't exist defensively.

I've reported this before, but the sliders aren't changing this for me, and I don't understand how you can play a game that is simply basketball, back and forth to each other's goal, every game.

Over at Operation Sports, at least one other person is having the same issue:

Although not the only reason for it, but another subsequent issue of the '1v1' is that players off the ball aren't really engaged in intercepting passes anymore. You can congest the f*** out of the pitch but you can still play passes through lines so much easier because it's not something they're trying to do. It's quite an overlooked aspect of the lack of midfield I believe. It's not just cutting passing lanes - it's off-ball player awareness OF THE BALL.

In general this issue has existed on Frostbite before 1v1 was introduced, but it's definitely a lot worse since then. I think another aspect of it has something to do with the friction in either the ball or the pitch itself.

 

[Topaz]

Even buying the game from a second hand reseller feels like I got scammed by EA. I am just not experience what @Matt10 is experiencing with the pros. CPU AI still tiki-taka in the box and score near post regardless of player attributes, no interception or press by midfield(they are literally just training cones), the attacker sometimes get an naturally burst of pace where no defenders(regardless of their speed stat) can catch up to that attacker(regardless of their speed stat).

Every tackle is a rebound back to the CPU Attacker that just easily run through the wings or the center, through passes and lob passes have very strange physics where if you through pass someone close to you, it targets a player behind you instead of in front of you.

Animation is also very glitchy when it comes to taking control of the ball from behind. The IK is seriously messed up and the animation just doesn't transition to the ball properly leaving your player unresponsive.

Marking is not tight in the box even when I put the Marking sliders all the way up to 100. I can say more but I am tired of typing and I am tired of this crap game and I am tired of people defending FIFA. I don't know how to enjoy this game and what kind of mental gymnastic I have to make to make myself believe this is anything close to a football game. Sorry for the rant. I am just upset at the state of footie games.

 

[Anth James]

Here is an example of the defensive issue we've had since last year. This is using @Matt10 v4 sliders for reference. It's not a result of the sliders, but it's not something fixed by them either - as it's a fundamental flaw.

Look at the run the striker makes. The whole defence just abandons everything else and runs back with him, creating a huge hole in the middle of the field. This is a fairly short example of it that happened very early on in my game, but it can happen in even more extreme scenarios also.

This isn't me sitting here just nitpicking every attacking phase of the game, this is something which happens over and over and over and over again. You could be playing line length at 0 - but if attacking runs just create a gaping hole all the time then it doesn't make a difference in the slightest.

Again, this is a fundamental flaw in the programming, where football logic is not being applied at all. It's simply a method to create more goalscoring chances within a game and it results in a non-existent midfield.