BluChampBlogger's Ultimate Guide To Realistic Football in FIFA 09

[bluchampblogger]

Originally Posted by prisleyj

What I did for my game (and as with all of these tweaks it may not work for the type of game you like) is that I reduced all of the players with speed and acceleration above 75 back down to 75 and if the rating was above 90 then I made it 77.

Now I realize that this flattened the speed of many players and made them equal (example: a player with a 78 speed and a 88 speed were now both 75) but what I found was that few defenders in the game are above 75 and so in reducing the speed to 75 you were not making many defenders any slower but bringing the faster strikers and midfielders down.

Since the biggest thing that we want to reduce is the easy throughballs and tonnes of one-on-ones I found that this allowed for the defenders to have a better chance of catching some of the speedy forwards but still left realism as regardless of whether players like Theo Walcott are 97 speed or 77 speed they are still faster than a defender with 69 or 72 speed and will outpace them but it won't happen over and over again and now you need to have a good first touch or make a skill move to get away.

I don't think flattening all players with above 90, to a 77 rating is justice. If we do that, there won't be this real life situation of one player being faster than the other. Being faster than the rest is a very interesting situation which should remain.

Also I don't think the tweak should stop with attackers. The reduction should happen for all the players for us to see a balanced game on the pitch. An edited Walcott at 77 value competing with a defender who was always on 75, will be an uneven and unfair contest. Let Theo be the fastest but his other skills might be lower. In this new set up, speed is not everything. Let him be the fastest but that gives him no guarantee, just like in real life.

[bluchampblogger]

Originally Posted by Manjovovic

- Since those teams already have slow players its not ideal to make them even slower. But it seems we have to so that the faster players from other teams are rewarded for their attribute. I think many players outside the English league are made slower than they really are. So I think we need to use our discretion in reducing them... perhaps a reduction of just 10 points for such players?

As I mentioned in my above response, the tweak should be for ALL players, if we want to see an even and balanced game on the pitch. Don't worry about slower players becoming even slower. Interestingly, in this game, for AI as well as the humans, slower players are a positive thing, as long as the opponents don't run like a speeding train. I have edited the speed values for six teams each from premier league, spanish league and serie a. I have played games in all combinations to test these. The speed settings are working like a dream.

A defender who had 50 sprint speed is now 35. This does not mean he's gonna walk or jog. Remember, these are all built like professional footballers. Even if you set their speed to zero, they would still run, but very slowly. So, every single player, basically runs at a decent speed but only with the incremental speed is determined by the above value. That's why, a drop from 50 to 35 is not as outrageous as it looks. Here is an exercise. Just for a player, set his speed to zero and play a Be A Pro as that player and see how fast he runs. Will give you a better idea about the sensitivity of these ratings.

Originally Posted by Manjovovic

- However this brings me to the question: Since you've also reduced the defenders then that means a player like Adebayor will still fly pass Terry (Because all the attributes are adjusted respectively)... but since you've noticed a huge difference I wonder how the defenders still cope? Is this because they now defend collectively and the striker is unable to blast past all of them?
If its still easy to fly pass those slow defenders then I would recommend reducing all defenders by just 10 compared to the strikers 15 reduction. Or will this make it too hard to score? I guess not cos most defenders are already quite slow.

Yup. You got it. To repeat myself, the slower defenders defend better as they have more time for decision making, more time to execute their defensive skills, more time to defend collectively and heck, the goalie has more time to position and react! I've tested it thoroughly and it is just brilliant.

By the way, I'm really enjoying these interesting, mature discussions without personal banter. And above all, we are all trying to make this a better game and also share our knowledge with others. Fantastic thread.

[prisleyj]

Thanks for the response bluchamp.

I see your points but for me I found that a lot of the speed in FIFA come from using the sprint button and first touch buttons. So as I mentioned before the difference between the 77 forward and a defender that may be 75 is just as great as if the forward had 90+. He will still be faster than the defender just not totally leave him in the dust every single time. I totally agree with you that truly no player should be a 90+ as it is just too fast for the game. So for me the reduction although making everyone equal in theory, rarely works out that way because of things like making runs, first touch and skill moves.

As well the tweaks that I have implemented are not just for attacking players but for any player with speed and acceleration above 75. It's just that the reason I picked 75 is that I found the majority of defenders were at that speed value or less so I wouldn't be making the attackers so slow that they would never beat a defender.

I found in my experience that when you reduce every player by 10 or 15 points then you still have way too much of a gap between the players like Walcott and almost every defender, it just happens at a slower pace.

Now I know that Walcott is extremely fast but in a real game he doesn't blow by the defenders time and again because they are playing with his speed in mind. Now I have personally found that no matter how I tweak the CPU defence I can still totally outrun them with a player like Martins which drives me nuts.

So my solution (and as I said in my previous post it is not what everyone would do) is that by slowing down the players to a more realistic level I have better midfield and attacking 3rd battles.

The great thing about these forums is that you can give and take ideas to improve the game. Cheers.

[bluchampblogger]

Originally Posted by prisleyj

So my solution (and as I said in my previous post it is not what everyone would do) is that by slowing down the players to a more realistic level I have better midfield and attacking 3rd battles.

The great thing about these forums is that you can give and take ideas to improve the game. Cheers.

Interesting! Have you played some matches to test this? Are the matches goal-dry? Are the 1-on-1s a thing of the past (it should not be, there should be those occasional ones, as they exist in the real game). Let me know how it plays on the pitch!

[prisleyj]

Originally Posted by bluchampblogger

Interesting! Have you played some matches to test this? Are the matches goal-dry? Are the 1-on-1s a thing of the past (it should not be, there should be those occasional ones, as they exist in the real game). Let me know how it plays on the pitch!

As with yourself I am still experimenting with many things but so far I have used this for a half a season in MM with Newcastle United and I have had two goal less draws, a few 1-0, 1-1, 2-1 matches. The highest score was a 4-2 loss and the most I have scored has been 3 goals. The results have been pretty realistic and my team sits in 15th place in the Premier League.

I still have the occasional 1-0n-1s, mostly with Obafemi Martins or Michael Owen but not as many as before. A lot of the time I have semi-breakaways in which I am harrassed by the defence and either rush off a shot or try and pass it off.

I am interested in what you said about the defenders when lowered (such as a 50 going down to a 35) having more time to execute skills and defend collectively and I'm going to give this a try on a couple of teams.

Just for the record I play 15 min halves on Pro, slow, with auto-switch on 4 and all sliders on manual.

Cheers.

[Shanice1973P]

This is great stuff!

Been testing and my highest score so far was a 3-1 win with Sunderland against Bolton, I have found that the defenders are able to cope with the -15 against the attacking players as I've also had some 0-0 draws and a thrilling 1-0 win with Chelsea against Man Utd in the 90th minute. The goal coming from Ashley Cole who came up to join the attack!
I must say I like the slower speed and combining with the earlier custom tactic tweaks I'm enjoying some great possession style football.

I've tweaked 8 Premier League teams so far and playing matches between them. I'm more than very pleased with the gameplay and the results. Blu is absolutely right when he said there is a hidden gem in Fifa 09. He deserves a lot of credit for his discoveries.

[bluchampblogger]

Originally Posted by Shanice1973P

This is great stuff!

Been testing and my highest score so far was a 3-1 win with Sunderland against Bolton, I have found that the defenders are able to cope with the -15 against the attacking players as I've also had some 0-0 draws and a thrilling 1-0 win with Chelsea against Man Utd in the 90th minute. The goal coming from Ashley Cole who came up to join the attack!
I must say I like the slower speed and combining with the earlier custom tactic tweaks I'm enjoying some great possession style football.

I've tweaked 8 Premier League teams so far and playing matches between them. I'm more than very pleased with the gameplay and the results. Blu is absolutely right when he said there is a hidden gem in Fifa 09. He deserves a lot of credit for his discoveries.

Thanks Shanice! Thanks for confirming that the defenders can certainly cope up with -15 tweak. Also, it is quite interesting that you mentioned that Ashley Cole scored your goal! Earlier, I simply cannot see him scoring in FIFA 09! That's a good testament!

By the way, I see that you're a Chelsea fan. I own and run this Chelsea blog - www.bluechampions.com - just drop in there when you can!

[bluchampblogger]

bump

[RMJ_10]

Why would you even write that much, I can't be asked to read all that!

[Locherbread]

Originally Posted by RMJ_10

Why would you even write that much, I can't be asked to read all that!

Then don't, but it's your loss unless of course you like fast arcady action games, where running through the middle or down the wings at a frightning speed is your cup of tea..

For me it's an awesome discovery & makes for a more fluid, realistic (well as much as a game can be realistic) match, now I can actually incorporate my tactical genius (well I try) & not have to resort to quick one touch passes which I am awful at or using pure speed which I hate ...

[bluchampblogger]

Originally Posted by RMJ_10

Why would you even write that much, I can't be asked to read all that!

Well, like Locherbread said it's your loss. I'm just playing a champions league tournament with these settings. I'll tell you we've (with mates offline) scored some of the brilliant goals we'd ever see. Even when we don't score, the attacks that we make are just so real and exciting.

[rik3193]

BluChamp, your guides are fantastic mate. Not only have they helped me employ an attractive, productive style offline, but also have helped me win more games online. Thanks!

I tend to agree with all of your recommendations in terms of setting up custom tactics to achieve a certain style of play. However, the one aspect I do not agree with is allowing 'free form' in build up play. I feel this leaves me extremely vulnerable to counter attacks, or wing attacks if I loose the ball. Even when I play with Man United, or Chelsea, I feel that my defensive midfielder, be it Mascherano, Essien, Hargreaves or Diaby tends to push on too much, and leaves me exposed at the back.

Saying that, I agree with everything else, and just by using 90 passing-chance-creation, and free-form chance-creation as you tend to suggest, with a team such as Newcastle which has two excellently mobile strikers in Owen and Martins, I can feel them both constantly looking for gaps and holes in the defence to exploit, and running defences ragged.

Anyway mate, thanks for you help, as it has helped me a great deal in temrs of getting to grips with custom tactics in Fifa09. Cheers!

[bluchampblogger]

Originally Posted by rik3193

BluChamp, your guides are fantastic mate. Not only have they helped me employ an attractive, productive style offline, but also have helped me win more games online. Thanks!

I tend to agree with all of your recommendations in terms of setting up custom tactics to achieve a certain style of play. However, the one aspect I do not agree with is allowing 'free form' in build up play. I feel this leaves me extremely vulnerable to counter attacks, or wing attacks if I loose the ball. Even when I play with Man United, or Chelsea, I feel that my defensive midfielder, be it Mascherano, Essien, Hargreaves or Diaby tends to push on too much, and leaves me exposed at the back.

Thanks mate. You're right. It's a matter of choice based what kind of player you're. I'm kind of more defence-minded so free form does not harm me much. May be this is the reason why I lost to Barcelona many times before I finally won (I had to reload the tournament many times!!).

By the way, have you adjusted the sprint speed and acceleration? How do you find the game now? Do you see your colleagues and the opponent AI making intelligent runs?

[rik3193]

Originally Posted by bluchampblogger

Thanks mate. You're right. It's a matter of choice based what kind of player you're. I'm kind of more defence-minded so free form does not harm me much. May be this is the reason why I lost to Barcelona many times before I finally won (I had to reload the tournament many times!!).

By the way, have you adjusted the sprint speed and acceleration? How do you find the game now? Do you see your colleagues and the opponent AI making intelligent runs?

The intelligent runs are why I love your guides mate. I play with Liverpool's default formation, regardless of the team, and use these custom tactics...

Build Up Speed: 73(fast)
Build Up Style: 50(mixed)
Build Up Organisation: Organised

Passing Chance Creation: 90(risky)
Crossing Chance Creation: 50(normal)
Shooting Chance Creation: 50(normal)
Chance Creation Organisation: Free-form

Defensive line: 35(deep)
Aggression: 50

I like to use teams such as Tottenham, Man City or Portsmouth, especially, as they have quick, mobile strikers to run the defence ragged, as well as having a solid DMF to anchor the midfield, while an attacking midfielder, such as Elano or Modric to pick the ball up form the wide men and create the play.

The movement is superb in the final third, as the high passing chance creation allows brilliant freedom of movement, producing some quality football.

Your defensive tips are also top notch. The advice which suggested to defend deep, due to small pitches and quick opposing strikers(especially online when everyone is Man United) is so useful, and gives me much more space to build up play in the bottom half of the pitch.

Cheers for the tips pal

[bluchampblogger]

Thanks rik3193 - that's a very good feedback. Since the speed tweaks, I have scored some spectacular team work goals which is what I really love in these games. You move intelligently and create chances with smart moves, it's amazing.

Most of the people who have read this thread must have made the tweaks and must be enjoying this newfound brilliant gameplay. I really feel sorry for those who have not read this or who have not tested this. They'd never be able to play FIFA 09 the way it should be played. And I don't know how to make people aware of this in a better way - go to the top of a hill and shout?

[rik3193]

They should all be 'stickied' mate. People who are maybe getting frustrated with the game would find these a great help. Maybe PM a mod or something...they are of brilliant use to everyone.

[Stumain3]

Bluchampblogger, rather than reduce these settings can we sample this new way of playing by simply changing the game speed to slow and try a game with 2 half star teams against each other as speed/acceleration in players will be very low anyway?

[bluchampblogger]

Originally Posted by Stumain3

Bluchampblogger, rather than reduce these settings can we sample this new way of playing by simply changing the game speed to slow and try a game with 2 half star teams against each other as speed/acceleration in players will be very low anyway?

Hi Stumain3

I have always been playing in SLOW setting. It just does not help. With the half star teams, the speed/acceleration would be low but so will be the other attributes. It makes a big difference when you have speed/acceleration low and the other key attributes high.

I suggest that you modify for a couple of teams, test it with an exhibition match. You'll SURELY be satisfied and then you can go ahead and edit the other teams.

[Shanice1973P]

Originally Posted by bluchampblogger

Thanks Shanice! Thanks for confirming that the defenders can certainly cope up with -15 tweak. Also, it is quite interesting that you mentioned that Ashley Cole scored your goal! Earlier, I simply cannot see him scoring in FIFA 09! That's a good testament!

By the way, I see that you're a Chelsea fan. I own and run this Chelsea blog - www.bluechampions.com - just drop in there when you can!

Thanks Blu, I will do, Lets hope for three points tomorrow!

[renatus28]

i edited Inter and Milan and played a 15 mn half game on Pro normal speed.

I really really liked the game, typical italianclash with not much space and a 0-0 score (even tough milan had 26 shots most of them were straight athe the GK from outside the area)

I will take 4 ever but will try and edit all Serie A now

[berbagod]

Thank you bluchampblooger's allo of your threads are helpful. i just played chelsea vs. liverpool and it was great. just like in real life i was always one pass away from creating a great chance. Another suggestion is to edit other team's formatins. give the other team a sweeer and they will always have one man back give some teams more defensive and attackng formations based on how they play in real life

[Bradebbie5]

Hey,lad.

This is a great posting.I tested with edit MANU & ARSENAL.
It's more like real game they played this morning... (i won 2:1 with MANU :-)
Anyway,keep up the good work and hopefully a lot people using your suggestion.

some guy from US..

[bluchampblogger]

Originally Posted by Bradebbie5

Hey,lad.

This is a great posting.I tested with edit MANU & ARSENAL.
It's more like real game they played this morning... (i won 2:1 with MANU :-)
Anyway,keep up the good work and hopefully a lot people using your suggestion.

some guy from US..

Thanks mate. I suggest you edit all the teams in premier league and play a full league. That would be fun.

[Shanice1973P]

Played Villa and Arsenal (I lost 2-1 to Villa) It was a great game that I really enjoyed.

Another point I'd like to make is that I am convinced that the A1's shooting has improved under these settings. In fact everything the A1 does has improved. This is really wonderful for offline play.

[Hauler]

Hi. I really like this idea and will be trying it shortly with Arsenal and Tottenham. Just wondering will this hold up in MM. Also I wouldn't touch speed and Acceleration but what do you think? Has anyone done an MM game yet with these settings.