So, here we are. Where shall I begin?
AGAIN! This game is such a neglected, buggy, broken, insulting mess for Career Mode users and has been for some considerable time. And, because it seems to be only getting worse. And, because the only mode that has adequate development time is one with expensive "surprise mechanics" designed to manipulate monies from people, including children. I have decided that the time has come to write to FIFA themselves and express my concerns with the way EA is handling its name and franchise.
The depths this industry and particularly EA have sunken to in recent years is a dreadful indictment of all of you. It's been shameful. It's all been lacklustre, half-baked pish (and that is being kind) with the sole purpose of being cynical manipulative microtransaction delivery systems. Star Wars, Battlefield, Anthem etc. You can use as many buzzwords as you like to try and placate our dissatisfaction, you can feign concern and pretend it matters to you and you can put as much lawyers spin on it as you like but the discerning of us know exactly what this company, in the year 2019 is all about. It couldn't be clearer.
Many have had enough of your lies and obfuscations and no matter how many people complain directly to you, you never show any accountability or diligence by actually developing or fixing the mode in any meaningful way at all. We get a lot of words but they are empty words. We receive a lot of promises but they are empty promises. TUESDAY I bought the game. TUESDAY I paid £75. Today is Sunday and I still can't play career mode because the squads are out of date. You did not even get that right. Nevermind all the other, truly game-breaking stuff. You can't even give me a functional squad update, a fundamental, almost a week after launch and how many weeks after the transfer window closed? I paid my £75 to be entertained in my spare time but what am I actually doing with that time? I'm writing this to you. I'm paying you, for me, to write this.
Now, allow me to be clear. I love this game, and I love career mode. I want it to be around forever, it feels like it has. I have been with it from its birth 26 years ago. It's been part of my life for a quarter of a century. Just think about that for a minute. I would like it to be around for another 25 years but I would like it to be getting better for every one of them. I don't want this game to go away but as the situation stands I see absolutely no point in EA having the license anymore. You are not willing to provide a functioning, positive, immersive and enjoyable experience to the offline community. Your dedication in proving the experience contrary to good is blatant at this point. And I do say WILLING because you ARE capable, you're just not willing! You're not willing to provide us with what we pay you for. You may want me to pay to win on FUT but I never will. I have suspicions that career mode and its players are a nuisance that you want rid of. A mode that eats into your FUT profits. And it's not by mistake. We feel this way because of the contempt that oozes out of your product. It's palpable. I wonder if the only reason it's still in there at all is for legal reasons related to the FIFA license? Well, we'll see. I will see what can be gleaned by speaking to them and their legal department. If I were a suit over there I would be most unhappy with your treatment of my branding, I really would be furious. So, I'm going to attempt to make it as clear as possible to whomever it concerns over there, the dreadful problems that they may or may not be aware of. It's my experience that often, organisations do not necessarily always, fully understand the thing it is they put their names to and consequently, don't understand the issues and why they should be concerned. Would anyone truly endorse a product they knew was broken? Among the other issues with it. A few perhaps but not as many as wouldn't.
I ask that anyone else wishing to voice their concerns to do so directly to FIFA themselves but I implore you to write professionally. DO NOT send them a wall of incoherent ranting in baby text message speak. Write to them and express your concerns with the quality of the product and explain why it is that you think it is or may be damaging to them to be associated with such a product. Provide reasons and examples. We all have plenty of them. In short, it will require an investment of time from YOU. DO NOT do this if you are not capable of doing it properly. It won't help. Sending letters and emails to companies and organisations costs them time and money. They hate it and if you cost them enough time and money they are eventually forced to engage your concerns. FIFA may be the only organisation EA seem to have to answer to regarding this game. Well, perhaps the leagues, too. From where I'm sitting, the only people who can ensure the future quality of this product is FIFA. EA have proven themselves untrustworthy, and I'm sorry, guys, it's a fact.
Following are their contact details. I would start by sending a query to "
[email protected]" asking for contact details for the appropriate department that deals with concerns regarding the FIFA game franchise and go from there.
Address:
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
FIFA-Strasse 20 P.O. Box 8044 Zurich Switzerland
General Enquiries:
[email protected]
Legal Enquiries:
[email protected]
It will take me a few days to formulate my letter to them. But rest assured, I will be contacting them. I just want to get it right. It will be interesting to see if I get any kind of response from them at all. I have no idea if I will get anywhere, or if I will be going about it the correct way but I feel I must do something, now. This year, something has to give. It's a long shot, I admit.
The intention here is not to attempt to get a revocation of a license from EA. I/we are too small for that. It's not realistic but if we can create enough turbulence, get enough people sitting uncomfortably in their seats and maybe get FIFA's lawyers to write to EA Sports formally and simply ask "what are you guys doing to our brand name to make people send us letters of concern?" Then perhaps we might get to see what EA can really produce in 2020 when they are forced to apply themselves. It's worth a punt.
I don't want to have to do this. I sincerely don't. But this simply can't be allowed to continue. You are taking our money and for career mode users, it's money for nothing. No exaggeration. I would prefer that EA keep producing the game but it MUST be a two-way street. You MUST make a quality game across ALL modes, every year, and ALL modes must show annual Improvements. Real improvements. In return, I pay you my money and gladly. You scratch my back and I scratch yours. It may be an old fashioned idea of how a business transaction should occur but it IS the correct one. Demonstrate a little pride in your work and start raising the standards again and perhaps, just perhaps we may start getting a product worthy of its branding. Worthy of its customers and most of all, a product worthy of its FANS!
Good day to you all.
Comments
My 12 year old son plays Career mode. But personally I'd rather play Football Manager then career mode in FIFA. That's being a proper football club manager.
But for hands on playing football FIFA 20 is the best yet.
FIFA 20 is the worst rated game ever, by metacritic user score, across all platforms. Yet they still havent sorted anything despite being told for over two weeks about the issues in Career Mode. They've already got a patch coming out to fix a minor interface issue in UT though.
They dont care.
Yea, I know, I agree but it's irrelevant to me and many others. Because career mode is so broken, we can't play the game. Doesn't matter how good the match play is.
NO, I AM NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT A SQUAD UPDATE! Comprehension issues? Or did you just not read the entire post? I am complaining about the endless broken things in career mode. Not one issue but MANY issues. The list is long and is listed in many places. ALL of it is broken and unusable.
YOUR d-pad problem, which you inject into every thread, regardless of the theme, is a single issue that affects about 50 people in the world, or whatever small percentage it is. An issue that can be avoided by moving into the 21st century and using sticks. Trust me, it's better. Your issue is incorporated into the sentiment of my post, if you bothered to actually read it because the post is about the unacceptable state of this game. It's about ALL the broken stuff.
I feel your pain, believe me, it shouldn't be broken for you but you have your own thread for your problem and many others alongside. Don't come in here, fail to read my post and inject your agenda into the thread I have taken considerable time to compose.
Christ, what a prat...
Fair enough man. They will fix it for you.
The game mode haven’t seen any valuable changes since Fifa 16.
Unfortunately it’s a mode that millions of people love to play, myself included. It could be something special if EA invested just a small bit of time and effort. But still, I’d rather hold out hope for career mode than be a naive, sheep prat tossing money at EA for virtual card packs 😂 now, imagine your life being that empty!
And this year they actually announced changes and improvements to the mode. But almost all of them are wrongly implemented or are just not in the game. Just looks like false advertising. Everyone who loves career mode was excited by finally getting something, but the mode is worse than last year at this point. It’s not even playable.
amennnn to this good man!!!🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌 enough is enough of being treated like ❤️❤️❤️❤️. half cooked game on release is such an insult, they had a whole year ffs.
Ah, yes, imagine even owning Fifa 20
Jokes on them. Hah!
Bahh, jokes aside. There’s tons of potential but EA don’t give a flying eff.
Sounds like something EA would do, no doubt. The not even playable part just makes me know, it’s the most EA thing that could happen. Lol
I’ve been putting together a list of improvements I hope they’ll make reality, would appreciate it if you included them in your letter 👊🏻
• Teams should have short and long term targets and circumstances that can change over time. A part of a team’s circumstances should be ‘finances’. If a team isn’t in debt and is making a lot of money and they’re aiming to win trophies, get promoted or otherwise move up in the footballing word their average net total for transfers each season should be negative, meaning they spend more than they bring in on players. Teams with high ambitions should be aiming to increase their team’s average overall and more of this would stop top class teams buying and relying on so many players with low 80s stats. This would go a long way towards making it so that the top teams don’t perform mediocrely season after season.
• The player cards of youth players should show their weak foot and skill ratings
• The ‘scout future star’ thing in the store (press R thumbstick down) is still broken after more than two years. Ngl this is just astonishing
• There should be a way to train a player’s weaker foot
• It’d be cool and useful if you received a scouting report of your upcoming opposition before each game with their likely formation (which is like your squad management screen and so includes the players’ known ratings and stats, their form), a list of the tactics they’ll probably use (like for example; heavy wing play, relies on ____ as a playmaker, uses a false 9, etc) and the team’s recent average player match ratings so you can adapt your game accordingly
• Teams are also usually very averse to you getting a % of future transfer fees when you’re selling them a young player. This is very frustrating and sometimes I can’t even ask for 10%+ of future transfers even if I’m willing to give them the youngster for free which is ridiculous
• Scout reports should have a page with their weak foot and skill ratings stats
• Strength, which is probably the easiest attribute for players to train up irl, should have more training options whilst sprint speed should have fewer
• I agree with the decision to remove ‘long shots’ from the training thing that trains finishing, shot power and sprint speed but long shots should be trainable. Likewise free kick accuracy should be trainable. Players like Juninho weren’t always that good at long shots.
• There should be a shortcut on each player’s scout report card that goes to their listing in your transfer hub
• There should be more transfer clauses available like the option to loan a player with the option to buy them, buyback clauses and performance related conditional clauses
• Atm youth players almost never have any traits and almost never develop them. I’m talking about things like ‘finesse shots’, ‘flair’, etc so later seasons become more dull
• After spending an extended period of time in a different position that position should at least be added to the list of positions they can play in
• A player’s potential and form should be a factor in their transfer fees. This would lead to younger players selling for more realistic fees
- teams with better youth academies should produce more top class youth players. Meanwhile training academy ‘levels’ should be brought back so smaller teams can invest so they produce more quality youth players
Why do you use the D-pad?
While I appreciate your contribution and agree with almost all you said, especially the part I highlight bold. The letter is intended to point out my concerns with EA's treatment of the franchise. It's about the appalling quality of the product and its treatment of the people who purchase it. It's about negligence and neglect, to be frank.
It's not going to contain any suggestions for future features. They won't be remotely interested in that.
It's a good list though and I say it deserves its own thread.
Thanks dude and fair enough. I’ll be making a separate thread for my suggestions next week and will write an email to the Fifa career mode team. In the meantime I’ll be seeing what else comes to mind
If there’s anything you’d like to add hmu!
They stopped looking long term money, just short term.
Do you work for EA?? Your on every thread defending this horrendous game lol....I have said before they only way anyone could like this game is if they are a poor player. Don't get wrong I was praising EA on the release as it was a grade A first class game but then of course they patched it because everyone was complaining it was too hard for them boo hoo.....and now it's just Fifa 19.....utter awful gameplay atm....anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves on ffs😂😂😂
That is what we all hope for. But I claim that EA will not be able to deliver that, because of:
I believe there is a need for serious refactoring of the game. But with the given release cycle, the current code base and the need for features, this is a tough task. However, good luck to the EA folks that are dealing with this task.
Let's hope I'm wrong and next year's FIFA will be a pleasure again...
Yes, but you can't play the games by yourself on Football Manager or do you? And otherwise we would play PES, but a lot of people just don't like their gameplay, how the game feels.
PES plays fantastic this year, the referee needs to be adjusted though.