re: FIFA 17 Thread

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ETA: I also don't think career will ever be a main priority of FIFA. It doesn't make them any extra money

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Yeah, but it's one of the few parts that I'm interested in.

I guess buying Football Manager is the only way for someone to get a constantly updated career mode. And I don't play it enough because I'm on my computer at home for work during the day.

I like Football Manager, but I hate playing on a computer. If they made a good version for console, I'd buy it almost every year.

OS posted an interview from EA on the new AI in the engine. The trailer for it showed more intelligent runs by the off-ball players and some cool things like fake runs and cuts.

LINK

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Share with us what's new in FIFA 17's Active Intelligence System.

To me, this is my favorite element. This is a game changer from the first minute you start playing FIFA 17. The difference you see is that there will be more and smarter activity from other players on the pitch. Your teammates are always doing something to create space or come and support. They understand better what's happening.

How does it work?

We created new technology that understands three things:
Predicting the future and what could happen at any given time during an attacking play.
Understanding when the dribbler is ready to make a pass so teammates time their run correctly.
Understanding and ranking attacking space.
In the past, AI players would not take the chance to run into an area if there was a defender already there. Now, how the defensive line sits will factor in how a player gets into space. If no space is avaiable, that doesn't mean a player won't make a run, but they will look at other options to create an open passing lane.

But, if there is no clear passing option, AI controlled players will try to confuse the defenders or come closer to create a passing option. This way, the player with the ball can pass it and not lose possession.

When you play, you will see support when you need it; when you need attacking runs, there will be those options available as well.

Shifting gears slightly, what was done regarding CPU AI? What can those who play against the computer expect in FIFA 17?

We paid a lot of attention to the CPU difficulty because we want everyone to have a fun experience playing the CPU in all modes, such as Career mode or kick-off matches. Outside of fine-tuning the gaps between our different difficulty settings, we adjusted it so the AI isn't ball hogging. We heard from fans who were unhappy that the CPU kept possession for too long, leading to them just passing it back and holding on to the ball. Now, the CPU will play more directly while the player should have more of the ball. When the player has the more of the ball, they're having more fun.

Additionally, we tuned the CPU AI to have more variety in play-styles, both offensively and defensively based on the team's attributes.

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That last part could be a real game-changer if it actually works. Teams playing like themselves instead of everyone playing the same.

EA also recently showed off some new shot types in the engine, including more finesse with driven shots and the ability to head the ball into the ground on crosses.

LINK

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Tell us about the new ways players can attack in FIFA 17.

We've introduced new attacking options that fans have asked for and we're excited for them to use - starting with two new driven shots. The first is the low shot. You power it up like a normal shot but you press the shoot button a second time before making contact with the ball. This results in a ball that is low to the ground and great for when you’re aiming at the bottom corners of the goal. These types of shots also have a new variety of ball error.

The other is the low finesse shot. This time, you press the RB/R1 shot modifier while pressing the shoot button a second time before making contact. When done correctly, this results in a low and swerving ground shot that is usually aimed towards the bottom corner of the goal.

What about headers, anything new there?

We’re now making it possible to direct your headers downwards, again meant to make it more difficult for the keeper to reach.

How do you do that?

As with the driven shots, you press the corresponding button a second time to have your player push the ball downwards and not upwards. You can also do this same action on volleys, a second button press will give you the ability to keep your volleys lower.

The through pass is a very effective mechanic in the game, anything new added there?

We now have it that you can place a through pass further into space by pressing RB/R1 + Y/Triangle. When performed in the right situation your attackers should have a better chance on goal.

You mentioned driven finishing shots, do keepers have anything similar to get the ball back into play?

Yes, we’ve introduced two options for keepers. They can now do driven drop kicks or driven throws.

Do you need to press the button a second time to do this?

No. This time, you hold the RB/R1 to do driven kicks or throws. RB/R1 + X/Square or B/Circle will have the keeper kick the ball with a lower but faster trajectory while RB/R1 + A/Cross will see the keeper throw the ball with a similar lower trajectory but with much more power. When done correctly this will result in more fast break counter-attacking opportunities.

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These are welcome gameplay changes. It'll be interesting to see how much they'll work, though, because a new engine can be a playground for bugs.

New trailer and details for the new physical play in 17. LINK

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Talk to us about Physical Play Overhaul, what exactly is that?

It's another game changer for the franchise. There are different components, but the main function is the ability to shield the ball successfully under any type of situation - called “360° Shield Dribble”. In previous games this was a huge missing part, the ability to hold up play and to place your body between the ball and the defender to shield them away from the ball. This didn't work as we wanted in previous games but now we've put together a big team of people, along with some additional time in research and development to build the technology required to make sure shielding becomes a reliable feature for the user.

How is 360° Shield Dribble performed in-game?

To trigger 360° Shield Dribble press LT/L2 and you will see your player be aware of the closest opponent and they will dribble the ball with the foot that better protects the ball. They will also stretch out their arm to stop the defender from getting closer. When the defender gets close, you will see how the dribbler places their body in a way that shields the defender from reaching the ball. Even when engaged in shield battles, you can dribble in any direction you want. You can also dribble into the defender, but your player will back into the opposition and drag and roll the ball for greater protection. Holding LT/L2 emphasizes protecting the ball over trying to get to your target as fast as possible.

Were there any changes to air battles?

In previous games, one of the only things you could do at goal kicks or corners was for your player to jump and try heading the ball. You weren't really able to hold or protect your spot and chest the ball. But in FIFA 17, we have the mechanic when you press LT/L2, you will put yourself in a spot where you can control the ball and shield it from an opponent. This won't work in all situations, your player needs to be stronger than the opponent in order to push them and shield the spot.

You've mentioned LT/L2, can you elaborate on what that does in-game?

We're putting all the physical actions in the LT/L2 button. It doesn't matter if you're an attacker or a defender, we want you to rely on that button for physical actions. There are a lot of 50/50 situations, so players will shield their opponent to protect their space or lane to get the ball. Pressing LT/L2 when defending will trigger the physical actions, which includes the push-pulls, shoulder challenges and seal outs from FIFA 16.

Are there any other interesting changes worth noting?

Yes, contextually, players are better at shielding an oncoming ball when the opposition is approaching from behind. A classic case in FIFA 16 is when you take a short goal kick and your defender doesn't make a good effort in protecting the ball, this could lead to the opposition scoring an easy goal. In FIFA 17, defenders can maintain possession longer.

We also improved the way defenders perform tackles. One problem players met was when you would tackle in the same direction your opponent was going, it would only give the ball right back to the attacker. Now, defenders will try to tackle in the opposite direction to prevent the attacker from quickly recovering the ball and continuing towards goal.

Also, if there is a teammate close by, the tackle will attempt to push the ball towards their teammate and not just into open space which could be retrieved by anyone. Defenders will also try physical tackles (Across Body Tackles) in the attempt to keep possession or push the ball in the opposite direction.

Something we noticed last year was that zig-zag dribbling was difficult to stop because you needed to quickly react to match the dribbler. Now, your teammates (AI-controlled defenders) will better help in chasing situations and prevent players from running solo with the ball for long periods of time.

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The fix to air ball battles and the ability to shield defenders to get a better first touch stick out to me.

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heyve made it worse with the global transfer market and scouting, which is cool in theory but retarded in practice.

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"Hmm...might wanna look for some youth to integrate into the squad."

*search for young, promising*

"oh hey, scouting reports! Neymar, James, Pogba, Verratti....shite"

It would be great if you could exclude already world-class rated players. I'm a City fan and I usually play with them in career mode. As such, I don't pull much from the academy. I want to pay scouts to find me solid & promising young players...not give me the names of the best 20 players in the game that I really don't need.

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SoFIFA is your friend.

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Yeah, just feels so cheap. I just would like something integrated into the game, ESPECIALLY for later seasons. When you start getting generated players it would help a ton.

I just don't like relying the random generated youth players that much. Grabbing teenage prospects from other teams and putting them into your own reserves makes the game more realistic to me.