Excitement among gamers is rising in anticipation of the September release of EA Sports annual FIFA series. The latest instalment in the series will be FIFA 18 which will not only feature the traditional Career Mode, but will also have the second instalment of the “Journey” feature which allows one to build a career in the game.Mode, but will also have the second instalment of the “Journey” feature which allows one to build a career in the game.
The focus of this article though is the fan favourite Career Mode which has been a mainstay of the FIFA series ever since the first instalment was released in the 1990s. The Career Mode feature allows players to take charge of their choice of club and manage it in any way they want including making transfers, being in charge of player contracts and negotiating with the board for transfer funds.
In spite of such detailing there are still some issues with the career mode that, if rectified will result in a much better gaming experience for players. In this article, we have listed out those wrinkles in the game which need to be ironed out for a flawless user experience of the Career Mode.detailing there are still some issues with the career mode that, if rectified will result in a much better gaming experience for players. In this article, we have listed out those wrinkles in the game which need to be ironed out for a flawless user experience of the Career Mode.
1) Realistic player declines
EA try to provide a complete, realistic gaming experience with their annual FIFA release, with each subsequent instalment being a significant upgrade on the previous edition. Player likenesses, movements and playing styles are all customised to each player’s peculiarities resulting in an authentic match style gaming experience. One thing they could improve on though is the player ageing process, which sometimes is a little too harsh once a player is on the wrong side of 30.
One example of this was a simulation carried out by a YouTuber which showed a dramatic fall from grace for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi once they crossed the 30-year barrier. The Argentine even reached a stage in his mid-30s where he had cumulative sprint speed of 0. Ronaldo, on the other hand, retired from the game before age could take its toll on his legs.
To further improve their gameplay experience, FIFA really need to make their player decline mechanisms more realistic. Footballers like Andrea Pirlo, Barzagli, Francesco Totti and various others have defied the effects of ageing over the years and this needs to be made a part of the game.need to make their player decline mechanisms more realistic. Footballers like Andrea Pirlo, Barzagli, Francesco Totti and various others have defied the effects of ageing over the years and this needs to be made a part of the game.
2) Press Interactions
The Career Mode feature on FIFA 18 allows you to live the life of a manager and take charge of a world renowned football club. One part of the job profile of a club is the pressure one receives from the press. Dealing with the press is something that has ben the downfall of many a manager, just ask David Moyes, and players should be allowed to experience the same with the FIFA series.
While press interactions have become an important part of the Journey mode in FIFA 18, the Manager Mode feature lacks the dynamic options and reactions present in the Journey mode. Manager tenures are often defined by their media interactions, and a similar feature would be welcome on the FIFA platform as it would allow for a more realistic manager experience.
The template for improving the press conference experience already exists with the Journey mode; So, it should not be a very difficult task for FIFA to replicate the same in the Career Mode feature in a move which will surely earn them a lot of plaudits from fans.
3) Player Transfers
Conducting transfers on FIFA is often an absurd experience with CPU managers making strange decisions when it comes to accepting/ rejecting transfer bids and make decisions that no manager in his senses would otherwise make. Also, the transfer system in the FIFA series has been quite basic, with the lack of sell-on clauses, release clauses and the other nitty-gritties that go into a football transfer.gritties that go into a football transfer.
What this often results in is a super strong player’s team that faces up against other heavily weakened sides which are in a tight spot due to some weird managerial decisions. It is here that FIFA could take a page out Football Manager’s book where the transfer system is as realistic as it gets with options of including all relevant clauses into a player’s contract. Also, the managerial decisions made in the game are tactically sound and present a real challenge to players trying to best the game.best the game.
4) Online Career Mode
The Career Mode offering has been a mainstay of the series for years now and is a proper fan favourite. Gamers spend days on building their teams with the aim of continental and world domination. After a couple of online seasons though, the novelty wears off as the players’ team is strengthened with world class signings while other teams are heavily depleted, leading to one-sided contests.
What could possibly lend a new lease of life to the Career Mode could be the addition of a feature which allows players to pit their squads in online campaigns. This could result in duels and leagues between groups of friends where transfers could be made, virtual leagues could be hosted while those wanting to co-manage a team could also go ahead and do that with their friends.
Such changes could result in endless possibilities which would make the game an even more enjoyable experience while also giving players to test their skills against real opponents instead of the monotony of constantly playing against the CPU.
5) Including Additional Leagues
The monumental success of the FIFA series can be measured by the fact that it is played by a worldwide audience numbering in millions of players on all sorts of devices which include smartphones to high-end consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One. While FIFA does an admirable job to cater to a worldwide audience, they could do better by including a few major leagues which are not part of the FIFA offering as of now.
The Indian Super League and the Chinese Super League are football tournaments representing a third of the world’s population in their catchment area but still, none of those teams find a mention in any FIFA editions to date. Including the ISL and CSL in the Manager Mode would result in an even larger fan base for FIFA, especially amongst the Asian youth, where football is catching up in a big way.
It is difficult to believe that FIFA cannot cater to such a large number of people. They are certainly capable of doing so and shoulld do it at the soonest as this will not only increase their sales but also help spread the sport through a large part of the world’s population.
