Five Ways to (Actually) Make FIFA 12 More Realistic - News
by Joseph Trotter , posted on 08 July 2011 / 20,526 Views
Every year, with each new FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer that is inevitably announced, the same spiel is always spouted in the same identical question and answer sessions by a producer with a slightly better haircut than the previous incumbent.
Without doubt he (it normally is a he) will mention the improved player likenesses, despite them still looking like the USSR female weight-lifting team. Perhaps, also, he will mention improvements in touch, movement and the like. Finally, he will hit the holy grail; realism. Realism is that mythical enigma that every sports game wishes to achieve; to create the closest possible representation of the real thing.
Yet, every new edition glosses over those attributes which really make a sport; the grit, dirt, and, most importantly, the cheating. With this in mind, here are my suggestions for the EA Sports team to make FIFA 12 the most realistic football (soccer if you will) game yet (and perhaps the most fun . . . ).
*Note: The list below is in no particular order*
5. Diving
Might as well start with the one that really divides opinion. To the South Americans, diving is a perfectly acceptable part of the sport; the best divers are applauded and often receive favourable decisions from referees. For much of the world, it is an absolute sin, an un-justifiable feature which taints the pureness of the game and is a disgrace to player and team alike who attempt it.
For the game to claim absolute realism, however, it must be included; such an important and controversial part of football cannot simply be ignored. If you do not wish to dive, don't - no-one will force it upon you and you can stay on your feet.
However, if you do wish to dive, then the option should be there to fling yourself across the pitch like a lost salmon. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, released on more systems than can fit in the universe, did actually attempt to include dives, initiated by pressing all the shoulder buttons at once. It wasn't easy to pull off and it rarely worked; when it did the opposition always cried foul (see 2. for normal reaction). Ask most players of the game, though, of what they remember most about 2008 and diving is it. If nothing else, it was hilarious when it didn't work and even funnier when it did.
A similar system could easily be included in FIFA 12. If players wished they could turn if off as an option, like the already implemented handballs, yet those who do risk a certain yellow card for failure. Those more known for diving, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba or Neymar, will have more convincing dives which can deceive referees into actually thinking they have been pole-axed, whereas more cumbersome players like Emile Heskey go down with the grace and subtlety of a Charlie Sheen chat-up line.
Of course, this system would rely on the discretion of the referee, which leads us on to . . .
4. Inconsistent Referees/Wrong Decisions
Sometimes, a referee makes a decision that is so unfathomably poor that the only suitable reaction is disbelief:
Every football fan when faced with such a situation can do nothing but shrug their shoulders; human error is a part of the game. In FIFA, the decisions are unerring; the robotic linesman can spot an offside player even if the only thing past the last defender is the attacker's trimmed soul-strip.
Referees already get collision based challenges wrong in FIFA, often resulting in apparently random yellow and red cards (at least to my exasperated/overly violent self), so a dodgy offside or a ball wrongly judged to have crossed the line is not beyond the realms of possibility or expectation. It could only really be accepted on the understanding that you will have as many decisions go for you as against, although many (like in real football) will still claim bias.
The potential of things like favouritism is also there; why shouldn't a team at home, or a 'bigger' team, be more likely to get a penalty if the decision is in doubt? Crowd pressure counts for a lot in football, as in any sport.
To take this to its most extreme point, there could be the option to offer the referee a pre-match bung (maybe a few FIFA points) to make decisions more to your liking, like they have (ALLEGEDLY) been doing in Greece and Turkey. Or, maybe they should just leave this mode to Fenerbache, Olympiakos and the entire Italian Serie A.
3. Dissent
Unlike diving, no football fan ever claims that dissent against the referee is an acceptable part of the sport. In-fact, there is little within the sport more disgraceful than watching ten thirty-year-old mean hounding a referee, explaining why his mother's dubious morals have affected his reasoning in not awarding them a penalty.
However, imagine the opportunity was there for a three-second appeal slot after a foul has been given to dissent against the decision (perhaps by pressing A on the 360 version), and, depending on the influence of the player, the decision is either revoked, up-held or the dissenter himself booked.
While referees do not often outright revoke a decision, they tend not to forget when a team feels vociferously hard done by, and will often try to re-set the balance with some more supportive decisions. However, protest too much and you may find half your team cautioned.
As such, a similar risk-reward system to that suggested for diving would mean that those who decide not to partake in such underhand methods are not at a disadvantage. However, those who do take the risk (like the early 2000s Manchester United team led by human rottweiler Roy Keane) may find the dark side very rewarding.
2. Brawls/Confrontations
For the most part, football brawls are pathetic affairs, with all the violence and grit of Dirty Dancing; most of the real violence is left to a minority in the crowd. Still, every so often a belter comes along that is so chaotic it is hilarious:
And yet, why should we allow ourselves to be hacked by a faceless fool online without recompense? Why should we just allow blatant cheating, time-wasting and everything in-between (unless it's on this list)? Why should we not be able to vent our fury and post-pubescent aggression by whipping out our handbags and launching into the timid Chilean winger?
Whilst turning it into a 2D beat'em up might be over-doing it, the sneaky opportunity to lamp a particularly annoying opponent during a stoppage sounds great. However, judging by most football fights, the pushing and shoving will be no more violent than Altair pushing through a crowd in Assassin's Creed. An achievement for knocking out Wayne Rooney would be very popular for sure, whilst Duncan Ferguson should be un-lockable as a cheat character; you just wouldn't even try it.
1. Exageratted Reactions
This is pretty all encompassing really, but in this instance it is focused more on the feigning/exaggeration of injuries. If a player receives the slightest of contact, just like in the real game they should be able to flop, flip and moan, emphasising the mortal injuries they have received. I like the idea of building up a roll, with high-scores and records for the most spectacular rolls. For example, here Jurgen Klinsmann scores 3 rolls x 5 for execution + 10 points for overall effect, including a red card:
Of course, there are side effects to this approach. To truly to convince the officials of the severity of your injuries you may have to go off on a stretcher, leaving your team with ten men before miraculously bounding back on like a spring lamb; worse, they might just leave you floundering as the opposition attacks. However, nothing convinces the referee of the opposition's criminal character like your interpretive dance suggesting their intent to break your leg.
And if they do break your leg, well, you probably had it coming anyway.
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From all things they could do to make Fifa more realistic, the above cited are not them. I mean, different behaviours among players and team would my first choice, since they all seem to be the same and play the same. The fact that I don't notice if I'm playing Barça or Celta de Vigo is a pain for me.
Changing the stats measurement to real numbers like 10m/s instead of 90 of speed, or 87 rigth passes to 100 atempted. A training system. A mood and morale system, wich would affect how you play. A better acceleration system, where some player could really leave the slowers ones behind.
There's plenty of stuff that would make soccer video games more realistic, you just failed to cite any that would really affect gameplay and make the whole thing more fun.
He was being sarcastic this was a joke thread I beleive.
Wow people need to take things less seriously
Diving? Yes. But everything else would turn Fifa into a quick time event fest and would obviously ruin the entire franchise.
With all the control offered in the Wii version, I have been pining for off the ball fouling and diving. Being able to take a player out of the game by bullying him around is something that could be executed easily and then adding diving to keep the balance from shifting to the defense too much is most important.
Add of the ball fouling please. Make the game as realistic as possible.
Excellent, I concur that the game should be made ultra-realistic. Here are a few additional suggestions:
1/ How about we take external factors into consideration, when certain teams are playing? For example, Celtic should ALWAYS play below par...for fear of violent retaliation from rogue loyalists.
2/ SPL matches cannot end with a score over 2-0. Anything else is highly unrealistic, and should cause the game to be abandoned.
3/ Implent a special 2020 World Cup challenge trophy. Play through the qualifiers with Israel, then convince the host nation to let you play in the actual tournament. A mini-game of shuffleboard shall take place, instead of any negotiations.
4/ WWE Smackdown style "create a casual" mode.
5/ No more management mode. Instead, we shall have "control the crowd" mode :) The atmosphere must be raised, and the tension must be ratcheted up. However, your particular "player" must survive the entire 90 minutes without being ejected under the new anti-Sectarian laws. This shall require a high degree of skill.
6/Ian Holloway-esque press conferences. After every match.
Also, to make the presentation better, add highlights for all games played. I think when you play in Master League or career mode, you should be able to track how teams are doing and what they are doing. Online Master League should have this as well, just the goals scored or whatever. Fifa on DS had this feature; hell Genesis hockey games had this addition. It may not seem like much, but it can add so much depth and realism to the game. I like when matches have stoppages in play and the game quickly shows me a highlight from another game happening at the same time. It is a great touch.
As a brazilian player and cheer I think your list is really nice and would tranform a franchise and grant more realism.
As someone who quite often watches foreign football matches whose result is immaterial to me, just to see the stadium lighting up like a Christmas tree every time a goal is scored, I would add the following features:
1) Two or three pyrotechnic displays per important game. Flare thrown on the pitch occasionally, with a small chance of causing injury.
2) Pitch invasions at the end of important games, and during traditionally fiery ones.
3) War breaks out when Croatia play Serbia: small chance of match being abandoned due to NATO intervention.
4) Serbia games also characterised by Red Star fans brandishing numchuks in the hope of encountering "traitor" Vladimir Stojkovic, as seen in the game against Italy.
I'm getting a little carried away here, but I hope this helps you all to realise that this article is a piss-take :D
Yes it did; if i remember correctly, triangle was both horrific tackle and dive. What a button!
I think this is football 200(2) also had diving, I always end up with a card...
And you forgot that they need to add a Drama class before every game, so all the players can practice there pathetic little scene when someone tackles them.
