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Part One:
Quote
Well guys to say this feels like an age just getting to tell you would be an understatement.
As I mentioned before Im not going to concentrate on features. Firstly this is because nothing is in stone bar a few of them anyways and secondly its more about the experience and game play that are key to most of us.
Before I get on to the game (patience) I just wanted to mention a few things. While I was out there I got to speak with Gary Patterson. Gary is the creative director and a top bloke. Whilst playing him I mentioned a few issues with 09 and he went away and came back about 30 mins later asking if the solution they had come up was better. Not only does this really show that they are trying to listen to us they are actually doing stuff!! For anyone interested the example he was an issue with short passing in 09 on Manual. They now see the problem and I gave some input in to how I felt it should work. So if short manual passing sucks blame me.
Ok on to the game.
We were expectantly ushered in to a conference room. The first thing I noticed was it was wall to wall consoles.....
One thing to bare in mind is that this was an extremely early build, thats not to excuse anything merely to point out that it didnt include much of the game other than exhibition matches.
Initial impression was very good. The first thing you notice is fluidly you move now with 360 degree control. David said that it takes a while to get used to but I and everyone else seemed to take to it very quickly. Apart from the obvious it actually makes a massive improvement to game play. I was able to round the keeper a couple of times without having to fake a shot or do a PERFECTLY timed skill move and avoid 3 defenders!
So what does 360 movement mean. Well for starters it means that you can dribble in a natural way not having to make 45 degree turns to avoid tackles or when tackling you can actually place the slide tackles and standing tackles. We will come back to 360 degree dribbling but lets muse about tackling.
Well tackling has been very much improved. Firstly slide tackles feel much more natural and less of a weapon. They also feel like the ref considers more and arent so much of a lottery. Players now actually slide further and hunt out the ball rather than the player. This is a massive improvement almost on par with the dribbling as slide tackles are not weapons but actually a part of real life football. With the improvements to slide tackling it really feels like a skill now just like passing or crossing.
Standing tackles now need to be timed if you want to win the ball because anyone with any sort of awareness will dodge any button bashing. I was concerned that "homing" still happens and something else I mentioned is that the call second player option felt a bit strong. As we all know the AI will place and time tackles bloody well so sometimes you feel a little "gamed" when tackled by an AI controlled player. I did voice my concern and they were honest and asked for feed back and explained that there is alot of tweaking to go. That said they also said they needed balance between attack and defence which is a fair point. Is it a weak point, not really now that you can skip past them in unpredictable ways, just a minor irritant when a good move breaks down.
All of that said it was only after 2 days of intensive play on very early game code so I will give the benefit of the doubt on that. Plus the other benefits go along way to mitigating this one concern.
Right now that I have talked a bit about balance, there are a few VERY nice and cool things introduced.
You know in FIFA 09 you would sometimes screem at the freaking TV telling the mid fielder to chase back or not be "magnitised" to the player with the ball? Well now in FIFA 10 players will forcibly move to cover holes. An example of this is say corners where the CB's have gone in to the box (oh yes the tall strong heading players now go up for corners and free kicks!) well now the mid fielders will actively cover the gap in defence. In open game play its pretty cool to see a player droping back and getting in to another players position while you pressure.
For every Yin there is a Yang and this comes in the form of shooting. You can now drive low shots, how this pans out in the final game I am reserveving judgement. Essentially its a two stage power bar (for example first 50% is power but low and the final 50% adds height). This wasnt massively apparent in the build of 10 we played but coupled with the fact that I am so use to litterally breathing on the shoot button its rare these days I can actually hold it above 25% let alone 50%
Goal keepers was interesting, they have been tweaked a fair bit and now chase back for chips and can clear from the goal line. In addition to this they can make double saves and "try harder". That said we didnt get anywhere close to new keeper AI so again its speculative at this point but was promising.
Another nice touch is how defenders can now clear more appropriately. They no longer do random punts out when not under pressure or decide to just do a soft header out. This again helps the game play.
Before I go on to the other things, I just want to say that this year the game play feels organic. What I mean is that if you want to "play" you can if you want to change the tempo in a game its up to you.
Now a big question is game speed. Well its probably a little quick but its reactive to you. If you play slower then the game will go slower. If you want to play fast counter then you can. Next year there will be subtle changes in player speed brining the difference closer. What this means that under the right circumstances CR will skin a defender and get a yard or two but in an out an out race the defender is there or there abouts. Depends on the defence though
The defence line. Hmmm this is an interesting one, is it better yes would I say its the best it can be well time will tell. I still felt it played a little too high. That said its much harder to run from the kick off and because of the new defensive AI and reducing the speed differential between attackers and defenders through balls arent easily spammed.
Midfield. Well the pitch size hasnt increased but the game play has. You now really need to use the midfield if you want any sort of attack other than the odd attempt at quick countering. Using the midfield is more of my normal style anyways but the way they will call for a ball (not shooting off making random runs but looking for it to feet) really makes the game feel better. This needs work and is on the "things to get done list" but in its current incarnation I am pleased with the way it is going.
While I gather my thoughts on an overall summary lets take a little time out to talk "online changes". Having a chance to meet with the team and ask some questions its fair to say that I really do believe EA and especially David when they say there is no momentum in the game. David told me they took it seriously enough to do a FULL audit of the code base in search of the damned momentum........they didnt find any. What was promising was I spoke to a couple of engineers who probably more candidly than they should said they were able to make improvements to the online play and tweak some of the online code and game play engine to make it better. Alas I wasnt privvy to anymore than that however when your sitting 3 feet from a person that lives and breathes game development and wants nothing more that to push the boundries doing the best they can achieve its hard to doubt there honesty. All in all regardless of the issues we faced there was a definative "we will try our damndedst to make it better for you guys that suffer the problems with online play" it was sincere and I believe them.
So now on to my thoughts on the game.
A little bit about my games. I played about 20 on assisted and the rest (think 16 hours of playing + smoke breaks) on semi shooting, semi passing and manual everything else.
If you have played me you know I like to play the ball high to players short or cross field a lot. Just like in real life where the ball doesnt stay permenantly glued to the floor. In this aspect the new code has now reduce ball flight time by 50% or so meaning that you can make a high pass and not watch the weeds grow as it "floats" to the player. The real example of this is playing a long high square ball to switch play now actually works in a way you would expect. Gone are the days of playing a cross field high square ball only to watch the attacker make up 30 yards to intercept it!. As I like to use them for shot passes or to keep the ball away from the feet of defenders this works nicely. Player control is better not seeing the recipient chest it 20 yards but take it in there stride. I forgot this part, you can now shift the ball to the players other foot with a slight dab of right stick
So passing, I have to say is improved. Again though I would need a week or two with the game to really say its perfect. But first impressions yes I like it and if the improvements in manual passing come over I think that everyone will like it.
Shooting......feels better and the ball less floaty. Sure you can still spoon a shot and not all shots are magnetised to the keeper. It felt like a realistic mix. That said I think with assisted and practice your gonna be able to slot home more than you miss. The devs said that the algorithm isnt finished and the latest not in the build we played so I cant really comment. I did score some very satisfying goals though
Defending. This is definately better. When you conceed it feels like the onus was on you. We know thats not the truth some of the time but at least the game engine isnt rubbing your face in it.
Speed. This is so subjective its hard to summerise it. For me it felt like a good mix that said its an area that needs real detailed views and feedback on. The one thing I will say is that when you have the ball you get to dictate the pace which is nice. That said some players will still be able to close you down more aggressively. This is combatted with 360 dribbiling and potentially a new sort of close control type of dribbling.
Overall based on what I saw I would say 8 out of 10 with the next 4 months to make it a 9/10 out of ten. Thats not to say there arent things that annoy you but more to say its a real step forward.
For me its going to be online play both 1v1 and clubs. These are the two modes I play and would be disappointed and angry if they werent up to the standard of the rest of the game. We had that this year and a repeat would be upsetting.
The world isnt perfect but any little things to improve online game quality would be very much appreciated.
Again great game, really tooooooo early to give a definative review but the signs are POSITIVE and I cant fk'ing wait now! grrrr
Oh by the way you can take quick free kicks too
Right guys I will answer some questions through out the day (please bare in mind I am at work though!) but cant cover anything
beyond game play as I didnt see anything other than that
Laters
Glen
As I mentioned before Im not going to concentrate on features. Firstly this is because nothing is in stone bar a few of them anyways and secondly its more about the experience and game play that are key to most of us.
Before I get on to the game (patience) I just wanted to mention a few things. While I was out there I got to speak with Gary Patterson. Gary is the creative director and a top bloke. Whilst playing him I mentioned a few issues with 09 and he went away and came back about 30 mins later asking if the solution they had come up was better. Not only does this really show that they are trying to listen to us they are actually doing stuff!! For anyone interested the example he was an issue with short passing in 09 on Manual. They now see the problem and I gave some input in to how I felt it should work. So if short manual passing sucks blame me.
Ok on to the game.
We were expectantly ushered in to a conference room. The first thing I noticed was it was wall to wall consoles.....
One thing to bare in mind is that this was an extremely early build, thats not to excuse anything merely to point out that it didnt include much of the game other than exhibition matches.
Initial impression was very good. The first thing you notice is fluidly you move now with 360 degree control. David said that it takes a while to get used to but I and everyone else seemed to take to it very quickly. Apart from the obvious it actually makes a massive improvement to game play. I was able to round the keeper a couple of times without having to fake a shot or do a PERFECTLY timed skill move and avoid 3 defenders!
So what does 360 movement mean. Well for starters it means that you can dribble in a natural way not having to make 45 degree turns to avoid tackles or when tackling you can actually place the slide tackles and standing tackles. We will come back to 360 degree dribbling but lets muse about tackling.
Well tackling has been very much improved. Firstly slide tackles feel much more natural and less of a weapon. They also feel like the ref considers more and arent so much of a lottery. Players now actually slide further and hunt out the ball rather than the player. This is a massive improvement almost on par with the dribbling as slide tackles are not weapons but actually a part of real life football. With the improvements to slide tackling it really feels like a skill now just like passing or crossing.
Standing tackles now need to be timed if you want to win the ball because anyone with any sort of awareness will dodge any button bashing. I was concerned that "homing" still happens and something else I mentioned is that the call second player option felt a bit strong. As we all know the AI will place and time tackles bloody well so sometimes you feel a little "gamed" when tackled by an AI controlled player. I did voice my concern and they were honest and asked for feed back and explained that there is alot of tweaking to go. That said they also said they needed balance between attack and defence which is a fair point. Is it a weak point, not really now that you can skip past them in unpredictable ways, just a minor irritant when a good move breaks down.
All of that said it was only after 2 days of intensive play on very early game code so I will give the benefit of the doubt on that. Plus the other benefits go along way to mitigating this one concern.
Right now that I have talked a bit about balance, there are a few VERY nice and cool things introduced.
You know in FIFA 09 you would sometimes screem at the freaking TV telling the mid fielder to chase back or not be "magnitised" to the player with the ball? Well now in FIFA 10 players will forcibly move to cover holes. An example of this is say corners where the CB's have gone in to the box (oh yes the tall strong heading players now go up for corners and free kicks!) well now the mid fielders will actively cover the gap in defence. In open game play its pretty cool to see a player droping back and getting in to another players position while you pressure.
For every Yin there is a Yang and this comes in the form of shooting. You can now drive low shots, how this pans out in the final game I am reserveving judgement. Essentially its a two stage power bar (for example first 50% is power but low and the final 50% adds height). This wasnt massively apparent in the build of 10 we played but coupled with the fact that I am so use to litterally breathing on the shoot button its rare these days I can actually hold it above 25% let alone 50%
Goal keepers was interesting, they have been tweaked a fair bit and now chase back for chips and can clear from the goal line. In addition to this they can make double saves and "try harder". That said we didnt get anywhere close to new keeper AI so again its speculative at this point but was promising.
Another nice touch is how defenders can now clear more appropriately. They no longer do random punts out when not under pressure or decide to just do a soft header out. This again helps the game play.
Before I go on to the other things, I just want to say that this year the game play feels organic. What I mean is that if you want to "play" you can if you want to change the tempo in a game its up to you.
Now a big question is game speed. Well its probably a little quick but its reactive to you. If you play slower then the game will go slower. If you want to play fast counter then you can. Next year there will be subtle changes in player speed brining the difference closer. What this means that under the right circumstances CR will skin a defender and get a yard or two but in an out an out race the defender is there or there abouts. Depends on the defence though
The defence line. Hmmm this is an interesting one, is it better yes would I say its the best it can be well time will tell. I still felt it played a little too high. That said its much harder to run from the kick off and because of the new defensive AI and reducing the speed differential between attackers and defenders through balls arent easily spammed.
Midfield. Well the pitch size hasnt increased but the game play has. You now really need to use the midfield if you want any sort of attack other than the odd attempt at quick countering. Using the midfield is more of my normal style anyways but the way they will call for a ball (not shooting off making random runs but looking for it to feet) really makes the game feel better. This needs work and is on the "things to get done list" but in its current incarnation I am pleased with the way it is going.
While I gather my thoughts on an overall summary lets take a little time out to talk "online changes". Having a chance to meet with the team and ask some questions its fair to say that I really do believe EA and especially David when they say there is no momentum in the game. David told me they took it seriously enough to do a FULL audit of the code base in search of the damned momentum........they didnt find any. What was promising was I spoke to a couple of engineers who probably more candidly than they should said they were able to make improvements to the online play and tweak some of the online code and game play engine to make it better. Alas I wasnt privvy to anymore than that however when your sitting 3 feet from a person that lives and breathes game development and wants nothing more that to push the boundries doing the best they can achieve its hard to doubt there honesty. All in all regardless of the issues we faced there was a definative "we will try our damndedst to make it better for you guys that suffer the problems with online play" it was sincere and I believe them.
So now on to my thoughts on the game.
A little bit about my games. I played about 20 on assisted and the rest (think 16 hours of playing + smoke breaks) on semi shooting, semi passing and manual everything else.
If you have played me you know I like to play the ball high to players short or cross field a lot. Just like in real life where the ball doesnt stay permenantly glued to the floor. In this aspect the new code has now reduce ball flight time by 50% or so meaning that you can make a high pass and not watch the weeds grow as it "floats" to the player. The real example of this is playing a long high square ball to switch play now actually works in a way you would expect. Gone are the days of playing a cross field high square ball only to watch the attacker make up 30 yards to intercept it!. As I like to use them for shot passes or to keep the ball away from the feet of defenders this works nicely. Player control is better not seeing the recipient chest it 20 yards but take it in there stride. I forgot this part, you can now shift the ball to the players other foot with a slight dab of right stick
So passing, I have to say is improved. Again though I would need a week or two with the game to really say its perfect. But first impressions yes I like it and if the improvements in manual passing come over I think that everyone will like it.
Shooting......feels better and the ball less floaty. Sure you can still spoon a shot and not all shots are magnetised to the keeper. It felt like a realistic mix. That said I think with assisted and practice your gonna be able to slot home more than you miss. The devs said that the algorithm isnt finished and the latest not in the build we played so I cant really comment. I did score some very satisfying goals though
Defending. This is definately better. When you conceed it feels like the onus was on you. We know thats not the truth some of the time but at least the game engine isnt rubbing your face in it.
Speed. This is so subjective its hard to summerise it. For me it felt like a good mix that said its an area that needs real detailed views and feedback on. The one thing I will say is that when you have the ball you get to dictate the pace which is nice. That said some players will still be able to close you down more aggressively. This is combatted with 360 dribbiling and potentially a new sort of close control type of dribbling.
Overall based on what I saw I would say 8 out of 10 with the next 4 months to make it a 9/10 out of ten. Thats not to say there arent things that annoy you but more to say its a real step forward.
For me its going to be online play both 1v1 and clubs. These are the two modes I play and would be disappointed and angry if they werent up to the standard of the rest of the game. We had that this year and a repeat would be upsetting.
The world isnt perfect but any little things to improve online game quality would be very much appreciated.
Again great game, really tooooooo early to give a definative review but the signs are POSITIVE and I cant fk'ing wait now! grrrr
Oh by the way you can take quick free kicks too
Right guys I will answer some questions through out the day (please bare in mind I am at work though!) but cant cover anything
beyond game play as I didnt see anything other than that
Laters
Glen
Part Two:
Quote
Well guys thank you for being patient. Firstly there has been a lot going on and catch even now from my short time at EAC to play and early version of the game
Now although I have seen something recently which was pretty bloody cool while I was down in guildford playing a later build unfortunately I can't talk about that. Yet.
Right on to what I can talk about.
Most of this has already been covered but I thought I would give you my thoughts on most of it.
Firstly since coming back and playing 09 again one thing I do miss is the 360 degree dribbling and the faster high passing. Often in 09 I will play a cross field pass now and then remember that its like hitting a golf ball on the moon and swear at myself as Henry intercepts a slow but otherwise perfect pass.
Its weird how when you play with a better control system it doesnt really take lots of effort to feel natural but when you go back to an older version you realise just how clunky it is by comparrison. As with dribbling it just feels right, sure I turn in to defenders or walk it out of play but at least now its because of the way I am pushing the stick not the control "rounding up" to the next 22.5 degrees......
So some of the new stuff, firstly there is the moveable wall. This really makes a difference in defending a free kick and gives the defensive team a sporting chance at stopping those 19 yard driven across the keeper free kicks that in 09 are nigh on impossible (even with the extra man trying to cover the gap).
What I like now is that it makes the FK taker have to think rather than moving n number of degrees to the right or left 1/3 power and a little curl and 8 out of ten will go in. I like the cat and mouse of trying to read what the FK take is gonna do and the mind games this plays, like in real life.
How does it work, well its quite simple use either of the triggers to move left/right (the triggers are inverted as you are moving from the walls perspective not the FK takes facing direction). You still have the rush option or the wall jump option so now although FK takers have lots of choices you defensively have more ammo to counter that with.
Quick free kicks. They work just like the current gen version in that when the play occurs your player will look to take a quick one but after a set time it will change to a standard free kick (3rd person).
When you combine quick free kicks and the cut scenes being removed with the ref warning or booking players in game it really does make the game feel more sim like and playing at a real pace.
Now on to my favorite bit. Before taking a direct freekick you can press R1/RB which brings up a menu to select the kick taker. Its not the most advanced feature in the world but it does give you better options for left and right of the box or if you want to use pace to drive a shot or if your feeling cheeky drive one under the wall. I like this feature alot!
Another dead ball improvement is throw ins now you can really lob the ball in to the box ala delap style. But the sensible rules with this improvement means only certain players can do it and you have to be playing in a ground with enough room for the run up!!
Whilst in guildford we were more free to play different offline game modes myself and Orlando played a few manager mode games and saw some pretty reasonable simulated results for CPU teams the budget that we had for Man City looked like last years though as there wasnt 15 zeros after the number
One nice touch and long needed addition is that you can now assign stadiums to teams which is needed. The stadiums now show the types of weather available and which lighting is available which it nice also.
Matches are also played in appropriate lighting and weather so prem games are mostly pee'ing it down while la ligua games are played in glorious sunny tempretures that seem to have all the imported players drowning in their own sweat
So practice mode. Well this is by far the best new addition to the game bar 360 dribbling. What it allows you to do is select X v X and choose either attack or defensive side.
Things to note are the attacking team gets all the throwins and corners giving you ample opportunity to fine tune corners etc. The great thing is its also multiplayer meaning you can play on the same side and really practice team work and making those killer runs or swap it round practice tackling and jockeying.
With the new fatigue model you really notice how quickly players tire if you go full on all the time and the practice mode will help you learn to manage your fatigue better and time your attacks and when you use pace.
We played a practice match with 4 players on each team with 2 humans on each side........4 players having to cover the length of the pitch nearly kills them for 10 mins. It was a fun game as there is no ref and so little players we were scoring lots and murdering each other with slide tackles. I have to say it was as fun as sensi soccer with a few mates and lots of beers. Exhausted players being sythed down spectaularly to then have to get up and chase back.
This mode will both be fun and helpful as you can practice your skills and control.
I will say again as a person that now uses lots of skill moves in my play this mode is great, as a person with a few friends and likes a beer or 6 this is also fun. I love it.
There are more details and new stuff coming in the weeks a head some I have seen and some I havent.
What I do know is they are trying to improve all aspects of the game and game modes and if what we have seen so far is signs of whats comming then this years franchise will be such an improvement over 09.
Right its sunny my grass needs cutting my wife still needs appeasing and i want to work up a thirst for some beers and FIFA tonight.
Glen
EDIT:
Oh and the ad boards beside the goals are gone!!! thank f*""(
Now although I have seen something recently which was pretty bloody cool while I was down in guildford playing a later build unfortunately I can't talk about that. Yet.
Right on to what I can talk about.
Most of this has already been covered but I thought I would give you my thoughts on most of it.
Firstly since coming back and playing 09 again one thing I do miss is the 360 degree dribbling and the faster high passing. Often in 09 I will play a cross field pass now and then remember that its like hitting a golf ball on the moon and swear at myself as Henry intercepts a slow but otherwise perfect pass.
Its weird how when you play with a better control system it doesnt really take lots of effort to feel natural but when you go back to an older version you realise just how clunky it is by comparrison. As with dribbling it just feels right, sure I turn in to defenders or walk it out of play but at least now its because of the way I am pushing the stick not the control "rounding up" to the next 22.5 degrees......
So some of the new stuff, firstly there is the moveable wall. This really makes a difference in defending a free kick and gives the defensive team a sporting chance at stopping those 19 yard driven across the keeper free kicks that in 09 are nigh on impossible (even with the extra man trying to cover the gap).
What I like now is that it makes the FK taker have to think rather than moving n number of degrees to the right or left 1/3 power and a little curl and 8 out of ten will go in. I like the cat and mouse of trying to read what the FK take is gonna do and the mind games this plays, like in real life.
How does it work, well its quite simple use either of the triggers to move left/right (the triggers are inverted as you are moving from the walls perspective not the FK takes facing direction). You still have the rush option or the wall jump option so now although FK takers have lots of choices you defensively have more ammo to counter that with.
Quick free kicks. They work just like the current gen version in that when the play occurs your player will look to take a quick one but after a set time it will change to a standard free kick (3rd person).
When you combine quick free kicks and the cut scenes being removed with the ref warning or booking players in game it really does make the game feel more sim like and playing at a real pace.
Now on to my favorite bit. Before taking a direct freekick you can press R1/RB which brings up a menu to select the kick taker. Its not the most advanced feature in the world but it does give you better options for left and right of the box or if you want to use pace to drive a shot or if your feeling cheeky drive one under the wall. I like this feature alot!
Another dead ball improvement is throw ins now you can really lob the ball in to the box ala delap style. But the sensible rules with this improvement means only certain players can do it and you have to be playing in a ground with enough room for the run up!!
Whilst in guildford we were more free to play different offline game modes myself and Orlando played a few manager mode games and saw some pretty reasonable simulated results for CPU teams the budget that we had for Man City looked like last years though as there wasnt 15 zeros after the number
One nice touch and long needed addition is that you can now assign stadiums to teams which is needed. The stadiums now show the types of weather available and which lighting is available which it nice also.
Matches are also played in appropriate lighting and weather so prem games are mostly pee'ing it down while la ligua games are played in glorious sunny tempretures that seem to have all the imported players drowning in their own sweat
So practice mode. Well this is by far the best new addition to the game bar 360 dribbling. What it allows you to do is select X v X and choose either attack or defensive side.
Things to note are the attacking team gets all the throwins and corners giving you ample opportunity to fine tune corners etc. The great thing is its also multiplayer meaning you can play on the same side and really practice team work and making those killer runs or swap it round practice tackling and jockeying.
With the new fatigue model you really notice how quickly players tire if you go full on all the time and the practice mode will help you learn to manage your fatigue better and time your attacks and when you use pace.
We played a practice match with 4 players on each team with 2 humans on each side........4 players having to cover the length of the pitch nearly kills them for 10 mins. It was a fun game as there is no ref and so little players we were scoring lots and murdering each other with slide tackles. I have to say it was as fun as sensi soccer with a few mates and lots of beers. Exhausted players being sythed down spectaularly to then have to get up and chase back.
This mode will both be fun and helpful as you can practice your skills and control.
I will say again as a person that now uses lots of skill moves in my play this mode is great, as a person with a few friends and likes a beer or 6 this is also fun. I love it.
There are more details and new stuff coming in the weeks a head some I have seen and some I havent.
What I do know is they are trying to improve all aspects of the game and game modes and if what we have seen so far is signs of whats comming then this years franchise will be such an improvement over 09.
Right its sunny my grass needs cutting my wife still needs appeasing and i want to work up a thirst for some beers and FIFA tonight.
Glen
EDIT:
Oh and the ad boards beside the goals are gone!!! thank f*""(
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