FIFA 19 gameplay & servers

We at FUTBIN are all avid FIFA players, we have been active since FIFA 94 and have played every single title since. We love this game and like most of you, we got hooked on Ultimate Team when this mode was released. In regards to the "gameplay issues", there seems to be a lot of talk and criticism floating around the web, and while the gameplay isn't perfect, it is far from the biggest problem we face.

If we take a look at previous versions of FIFA, each and every title would come combined with a "gameplay flaw". For example:

In FIFA 2003-2005, almost every cross would result in a goal. This can be seen from videos focusing around any of the eSports competitions from back in the day.

From FIFA 2006 to 2014, you can find a lot of other issues such as OP long shots (90% goal if taken from the right spot), OP dribbling, corners and so on.

Despite the "problems" each game may have, it simply changes the meta, which is a problem/feature that almost every online game of the modern day will have. So, if gameplay isn't the biggest problem right now, then what exactly is it? Well, we have all experienced times where the game feels very different, leaving us to ask questions or make statements such as: "The game isn't very responsive", "My players feel sluggish", or "This match feels very different to the previous one". Some players would describe this as button lag or input delay, but what exactly causes us to ask such questions, and why does it feel like it is becoming more and more noticable each year?

With the competitive scene growing so rapidly, the average gamer carries a much higher skill level than has been present in previous years. When you combine these factors with this "input delay", and the fact that the game can create RNG elements while playing online, we find ourselves noticing these problems a lot more. The key to improving in this competitive scene is repetition, practice and timing. Pressing the tackle button half a second too early, or half a second too late can create a completely different scenario, leaving the user to feel confused, defeated and infuriated. This logic is applied to all areas of the pitch; passing, shooting, and even player switching, in order to improve your game, you need to ensure near perfect timing.

Now before we jump into things, here’s some data that shows the top 30 countries distribution of FUT:
 

As you can clearly see from the graph, the majority of FUT players are based in Europe and for the most part, the game will be pretty responsive for these players, when the servers aren’t under heavy traffic and everything is working as it should. Yes, there are exceptions when the same issues are present within Europe too, and we have experienced these first hand.

As for the rest of the world however, every time you load the game you aren’t entirely sure what you are going to get. This leaves players praying to the FIFA gods, hoping that the game will be smooth, but sadly this is rarely the experience they recieve.

Initially, blame is placed upon the players internet connection. Is it fast enough, is it wired, are the correct ports opened, is the firmware updated etc, and while this can occasionally be the culprit, this is very rarely the underlying issue. We have tried everything, from different routers, to changing ISPs, using VPNs, updating router settings, or even custom firmware. You name it, we've tried it. The biggest worry is how we have played a wide variety of games over the years, (CS:GO, Fortnite, COD, Battlefield, Dota, Rocket League, to name a few), and have very rarely ever suffered with "delay" or ping issues.

With the continuous growth of the FIFA franchise, the P2P (peer to peer) element is slowly fading away, with EA's focus being on dedicated servers. This is a fantastic idea and decision in our opinion, however the execution so far simply hasn't been good enough. The internet is full of opinions that would agree, as seen on Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, or even the EA forums themselves.

The general public expects EA to simply pull a plug and fix the issues, which just isn't how this works. Such drastic changes and adaptation requires a gigantic roadmap, a lot of work, and a sizeable chunk of time. The problem we have currently however, is that as far as us, the public can see, nothing is actually being done to accommodate for this. Simple acknowledgement of the issues would be a great start, updates along the way, and an estimated time frame for implementation is all we need (even if we are still years away).

Now we don't know, or have any interest in finding out about how EA's network and code works. We are confident that they have some fantastic developers in place, working tirelessly to change, update and adapt the model. Despite this, every big country, or at least the top 50, should always have access to a clean and responsive game. This needs to be the focus of their resources, time and commitment to the playerbase. Fixing AI defending, or finesse shots is great, but is far from the biggest problem right now.

Our final topic of conversation today, would be around EA's communication model. The implementation of Zaro and Corey has been fantastic, but at the end of the day they only have four hands, and have simply no chance of keeping up with the hectic workload and demand from the FUT community. A dedicated FUT support department would be an incredible addition. Individuals who know the game, are incredibly responsive, and can deal with simple issues such as being hacked, wrongfully banned or helping someone who got an unjustified loss (disconnect, game was stuck in the final screen etc). It would show that EA cares about the playerbase, and would provide the player base with a simple point of contact as well.

All in all, FUT content this year has been incredible. The UI/graphics seem to improve with each release, while the content becomes more and more engaging. This is fantastic, and shows that EA are really trying to make this game as near perfect as possible for us.

Yours,
The FUTBIN Team