Ready to Face the Music

[EAGuyUK]

Unlike someone on this board, I *do* actually work for EA. However, unfortunately, I work for EA here in the UK and not EA Canada who make the FIFA series of games. EAUK have had limited input into the game, however I'm so embarrassed by it, and annoyed as a paying EA customer, I've decided to break my NDA agreement with EA and try to answer any questions you may have.

- Steve

 

[pronewbie]

Yeah? Why don't you give us your email address so that we can verify if you really work for EA.

 

[EAGuyUK]

Because EA do actually look at these boards, and if they found out who I am and I'm willing to break my NDA I'd be in extremely hot water.

Quite frankly, whether you choose to believe me or not isn't my concern, and I won't answer any further questions regarding my identity, but if anyone has any questions regarding EA or FIFA 2002 or WC2002, feel free to ask.

 

[pronewbie]

Well Okay, as a player of your games for about 7 years now(I started late in yer first release), I have been quiet in the community until recently, because I've been extremely frustrated at the state of the FIFA series. For 3 years( FIFA '99, FIFA 00 and FIFA '01) now, I've tried very hard to resist any temptations to flame you guys - Until I came across this forum. In my personal point of view, FIFA 2002 was a small step by EA, a giant leap in footie gaming. Why? Simply because of the beauty it possessed. Gameplay-wise, I was pleased with the new power-up of shots and more. However, if you'd imagine FIFA '98 with such graphics, I'd choose the latter. It had the sorta realism and spark in it which is missing in all current FIFA titles. And then, wow. EA releases their latest demo, World Cup 2002. Splendid eh? NEW GAMEPLAY, NEW CAMERA ZOOMS, REALISM WITH REAL FACES AND PLAYER NAMES, AND NOT FORGETTING THE LICENSE.

Out of all these enhancements, honestly, 1 only caught my eye. NEW GAMEPLAY. However my eyes missed out the following words - New airplay system blah blah blah blah blah. I was like.. Fug, so now they're gonna change scorpion kicks into something more fanciful or wat? Then, I download the UNOFFICIAL DEMO, run it, get impressed by the improved graphics... realism in player faces... forget all about gameplay.. until it makes me return to windows. I run it again. Get impressed with the tackling system. After awhile though, as in all FIFA games, you get sick and tired of it after a short while. I don't know why, it just happens. It's probably cos of the scripted play and horrible AI that's why. And heh, we don't need star wars-like graphics here.

 

[pokwang]

um...is it true they said they'd looked at PES and TIF when making WC2002? They said that in an interview, and I believe they just want to get a boost trying to associate their sorry ass game with the almighty competition...and yourself do you like PES?

 

[nickclubman]

Re: Ready to Face the Music

Originally posted by EAGuyUK
Unlike someone on this board, I *do* actually work for EA. However, unfortunately, I work for EA here in the UK and not EA Canada who make the FIFA series of games. EAUK have had limited input into the game, however I'm so embarrassed by it, and annoyed as a paying EA customer, I've decided to break my NDA agreement with EA and try to answer any questions you may have.

- Steve

If you work for them in EA uk, then why don't you display your country, where your posts are, etc???

I feel that you're leading us on...

Nick Clubman

 

[Brainodo]

I only need to know one thing:

The most important option to me in FIFA is the ability to play in a tournament as separate teams. This was missing in FIFA 2002. Will it be in the World Cup edition?

If not, I'm not buying it. No point playing the World Cup if you can't all pick separate countries.

 

[EAGuyUK]

Do you mean playing multiplayer in a tournament? If so, yes this is included in WC2002.

Pronewbie - I'm not just an EA employee, I'm a games player and football fan, and I can completely relate to what you're saying. I get bored with the FIFA series too, the reason being that the actual football is unrealistic.

 

[ChRIsA]

Wow, an EA employee in the forums. You say that you didnt have much input into the game, so maybe EAUK should make their own footie game. Where in England is your studio?
I think the main problems with Fifa 2002 and world cup 2002, is that it is just not clever enough. Look at the shooting for example, its so dumb, and so simplistic as their is not very many shot animations, and EA have just cheated and made the ball move to the players foot, rather than the other way round.
I also think that the shooting doesnt take into account the position of where the shooter is, and where the other players are, for example, if their is a player coming to tackle you, then the shot may not be as good under the pressure.
If you want more tips please e-mail me on [email protected]

 

[TristanAbbott7]

Headers.

I've flamed EA more than most in these forums over the past few weeks because I've been hugely frustrated. I've bought most of the EA sports titles every years since they first came out so I'm not just some moaner looking to have a go at somebody for the sake of it.

The only game I've had a problem with in the EA series has been Fifa because each year they seem to introduce something which is totally out of the blue and people complain about it. This year it's a bunch of things but with little difficulty you can edit or change most of them in the ini file so I'm not overly bothered about them. They shouldn't be in there but still, the only big bad thing is the over powerful headers. I've scored so many goals from the hlaf-way line or ten yards in my opponents half with a power header it's stupid. I don't even try to do it. A slow moving ball even coming from behind my player can turn into a rocket and tear into the opponents net. That just isn't right.

You can't tell me it's not an error because no soccer player or gamer on this planet would seriously want this feature in the game. It is by a long way the most unrealistic feature ever. I can put up with comet trails (or remove them) but these headers have totally spoiled the demo for me and they are going to be in the final edition aren't they because everything's boxed, packed and ready to go. Please communicate to EA we need this changing or the moment some kind of competition comes out on the PC, Ea are gonna lose most of their business.

 

[EAGuyUK]

I honestly don't know how those super-powered headers made it into the game. I wish I could tell how they got in there. Obviously it's a programming error, but as Tristan says, the game was ready for release a LONG time ago now, and they will not be fixed in the retail release....why? I don't know.

There will be a patch for the super-powered headers, however the actual programming team isn't as large as you may think. There's all sorts of people on the EAC FIFA team, but not as many C++ programmers as one would expect. Therefore the patch could be a long time coming. I believe EAC are hoping for July/August.

To ChrisA - Before I joined the company, EAUK had created FA Premier League Stars, which was fairly well received. I believe if the series had been embraced by the company, it could have been better than FIFA, however EA didn't think it was financially viable and cut it.

As I mentioned earlier, EA employ people to trawl the Internet and gauge public opinion on games, and I can certainly tell you with 100% certainly that EA are worried about the response FIFA 2002 and now WC2002 is receiving. There is a long term plan for a new, completely reprogrammed, soccer series to rival Pro Evolution Soccer, and the FIFA series would be made into a more Arcade sort of game (hence the magical fiery football and the "revolutionary AirPlay™ system."

And for those of you wondering about my identity, all I will say is that I an a technical consultant, and not a programmer/artist.

- Steve

 

[Nebo]

Hey Steve will there be any club teams in 2002 FIFA World Cup? I heard someone talk about it but I doubt EA would include club teams in a World Cup game

And is it possible to choose players from leagues into a national team as in FIFA RTWC 98? So we can choose any english player that play in the EPL for the english national team?

 

[ba7787]

club

will there be club teams if not why are there club adboards

 

[Tom Green]

if u know Pro Evolution Soccer exists,and u have played it,then why the f>ck dont u try to make fifa like that?? i mean,super headers,drunken tackles,star war sounds,fire coming from the ball's arse,WHAT THE F.CK IS THAT?????????

 

[TristanAbbott7]

Hold the flame

Tom Green, did you not read any of his previous posts on this thread? He doesn't work for EAC who program the games so he has no control over what goes in and out of the games. It's like somebody working at a bank, they might know the in's and out's of every thing the bank does but that doesn't mean they can change the bank's procedures to give you 110% interest on your money just because they work there. Only a few people have the power and the rest of them, although they have knowledge and answers to questions, can't change things.

Read before you start cussing people out and flaming them.

 

[EAGuyUK]

Thanks Tristan. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the flaming balls are to make the game more arcade style, as EA try to corner the Arcade Football market, wheras Pro Evolution Soccer is doing a great job of cornering the Simulation Football market.

Yes, Internation selection is in WC2002.

- Steve

 

[manufan]

Originally posted by EAGuyUK
Thanks Tristan. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the flaming balls are to make the game more arcade style, as EA try to corner the Arcade Football market, wheras Pro Evolution Soccer is doing a great job of cornering the Simulation Football market.

Yes, Internation selection is in WC2002.

- Steve

Well there's a plus. All I really play in fifa is multiplayer so the AI doesn't bother me that much.

 

[nickclubman]

Ok, so I believe you work for EA.

If EA always try to develop an Arcade style football game, then why don't they try a simulation approach?

If they did, I'd think they'd get more publicity, more fans, even better sales, cause people buy FIFA for the teams and all the official kits, etc...

They don't buy it for arcade gameplay, whatever EA saw or heard about that is crap, people want REAL football.

I know you're only Technical and don't work as a Programmer, but that's cool, as you must get SOME information, like you know International selection will be in the game, so that's great, but hey I won't buy this version and if EA programmers keep producing arcade boring play, then they'll soon realise that no one likes their game anymore, ESPECIALLY now that Konami are also using the FIFAPro, but not as much as EA.

2002 FIFA World Cup is the best FIFA they've made. The best FIFA yeah, but that doesn't mean it's a good game and it's not...it's boring as hell to say it's an arcade game!!!

Nick Clubman

 

[The Drovers Dog]

EAGuyUK, well mate if you are from EA, we should all thank you for showing up in here. I am onother forum user who has so often hammered the latest of the Fifa Games, and i won't apologise for doing that, and l would s'pose that like many other players who have been involved in playing the Fifa games for the past few years I\we have become very very frustrated with what EA have churned out, we all feel as though we are being let down time after time as the new releases appear and don't offer what we expect as in playing a good solid and as near to real Football game as can be expected on the Pc. EA seem to spend huge amounts of time and cash working out the Motion Capture features, as in Fifa 2002 when they hired a few of the Pro footballers to re enact actuall player physics and such, which during the intro phase of the game did look quite stunning, but alas after that ended and we got into the actuall hard gameplay, every thing becomes disjointed and seemingly out of synch, and then slowly but surely the interest in the game drops of and then we all take a deep breath then start to whine and complain, and as you probably already know, many of us have taken the Console path and the Konami brand of football and this is another reason why the players complain, many of us still can't understand why one company can produce Platinum Footy games when the other company EA who have produced quite a few excellent none Footy Sports games have slowly dropped back to a rear position in the Footy production stakes, wether or not this is due to the programmers not having enough knowledge of the True Pro game as in ever been actually involved in the game as a player or coach or even being born in a Football mad country only they know that answer, and as a reference to the post by pronewbie:> "pleased with the new power-up of shots and more. However, if you'd imagine FIFA '98 with such graphics, I'd choose the latter. It had the sorta realism and spark in it which is missing in all current FIFA titles." - Realism and Spark are the keywords here. You also mentioned the Premier League All Stars 2002 game, when that game turned up quite a few thought that at last EA was almost back on track, you could see the British influence in that game within the ball movement and player actions and even though that game was a notch too fast in the gamespeed department along with the ease that you could score 45 yarders, it was in my opinion the best since Fifa 98, but of course as we already know that series was canned for the sake of Fifa 2002 and most probably a victim of the bean counters and their account sheets, which was a huge step in the wrong direction as far as any serious Football gamer goes and in fact a bigger mistake by EA by dropping that series, could you imagine a spiffed up Premier All Stars 2000 game engine with options to change the gamespeed vis a slidebar, then a World Club Leagues
and National Teams option tossed in for good measure, now that would have been a huge success on a Global Standard.

 

[ChRIsA]

I wonder what arcade style is interpreted as?
Does it mean like when you go into an arcade and play a game for 20 minutes, because that is like Fifa. You have to pay for 20 minutes of fun, and then you get bored, so you stop playing.

Hopefully Konami will start to expand their games a bit so that their are more teams and competitions. Then I will never have to buy Fifa ever again.

Im sure that EA advertise Fifa as the most realistic footie game or something like that.
Maybe EA should make 2 different games, one which is simulation which would make the majority happy, and one which is arcade for all the people who have never heard of football.

I think fifa world cup 2002 is an embarrassment to Football, and doesnt deserve to be called FIFA, or FOOTBALL, or even SOCCER.