As promised before, BoFC is working to use the time in
between new games to offer up ideas for ways to improve games, instead of just
tearing them down for everything wrong with them.
As such, and with FIFA 13 coming out, I want to take a look
back at something in FIFA 12. I
cannot confirm this, but I doubt it’s something that’s been added yet, given
EA’s level of commitment to innovation.
One of the great things EA has done with sports titles over
the years is look for ways to expand game modes by offering a greater level of
immersion, extending the game beyond the on-the-field action. I remember how great it was playing
through an entire season in a game, and then the new modes that allowed you to
continue on to the next season, as if it was a full coaching career.
FIFA’s done this really well for multiple years. However, there are some seriously
tedious parts to the career mode, especially if you tend to take a more
realistic approach to your managing style and don’t look to buy every single
expensive player on the market (I picked my local team, the NY Red Bulls).
One of my big issues is player development. You’ve got a youth squad for which you
recruit youth players, and then when they “mature” (at age 16), you can call
them up to the big show or sell them.
Some of these guys have great potential, though, and you
don’t want to sell them, because in a few years they’re going to be amazing,
and you want to be getting that virtual pat on the back from the virtual team
owners recognizing how great of a find this kid was.
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| Youth scouting in Brazil. |
So maybe you put them on loan. That’s great, but they don’t always progress that well. Sometimes the best way is to have them
play in the game.
But they might not be that good, so you won’t play them all
the time. You’ve got starters who
are better. So, invariably, you’ll
end up before each game having to go through and switch up your lineup. Again, not terrible, but sometimes you
just wish the lineup could be automated.
You’ve got assistant coaches you can delegate this stuff to. Especially if you’re looking to
simulate a few games.
Maybe you’ve reached a point in your career where the
excitement of the game isn’t there, but you still love developing talent. Many players like to simulate through
many games without ever actually sitting down to play one. Going in and setting your lineup each game to
ensure you’ve got some young talent playing takes away from the pace.
In fact, it’s quite tedious.
And this extends beyond player development. You’ve also got to worry about fatigued
players, injured players, suspended players, and unhappy players. Every single game.
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| Had to take this picture of the squad setup screen with my phone because there's no easy way to take a screengrab on Xbox. |
As a simple add on, there should be a way to automate your
lineup changes, based on your preferences. Right now, if a guy is hurt or suspended, it will
automatically take him out and put someone else in his place if you haven’t
done that. But that’s it.
Give the player the ability to delegate. A player could say hey, I want to
ensure we have the best on the field, so always play the best guys, no matter
how tired. Or you could want to
promote growth, so set it to play younger players with high potentials often. Me, I’d like a good mix: make sure
nobody’s tired, and of who’s not, put in a good mix of high-potential young
players with my starters, so I might win, but it’s ok if I don’t. And it’s something I can change for the
next game.
Maybe use some sliders that show how the lineup changes in
real time, so you’re happy with the squad you’ve got set. I haven’t tried coding anything, but I’m
sure there’s some sort of formula or algorithm to work out that could weight
each value on each player in your roster and put together the ideal squad. Need a faster lineup? Prioritize
speed. Just need to keep them from
scoring? Prioritize defensive abilities.
This is still something you may want to check each game, but
it doesn’t mean you have to keep going through each player and moving him
around on the roster. By selecting
a certain preference, you immediately see the ideal squad based on those
priorities – all the tedious moves have been handled for you.
This will save minutes of a tedious task for more enjoyable playtime,
whether you play every game or simulate on through.
