I’m not ashamed to say that online gaming has never really appealed to me in the same way that it does for most these days, and this tends to be for a couple of main reasons. 1) I tend to play at times when most of my friends don’t. 2) I am what scientists would call a “bit of a shitebag”, when it comes to testing my skills against strangers. So, why is it that, around 18 months after the launch of the Xbox One, I’ve probably thrown more hours into FIFA Ultimate Team – across both FIFA 14 and 15 – than all other Xbox One games I’ve played combined? It’s a question I’ve found myself pondering a lot lately for a number of reasons (no list this time), because I can clearly see its myriad of flaws, and would never seek to deny them. The game’s online servers continue to be a regular shitshow, often failing to find you a game or – even more frustratingly – finding you a game, disconnecting during said game, and punishing you for their incompetence by awarding you a big fat loss on your record. This makes climbing through the divisions an extremely inconsistent process. The game’s transfer market/auction house became so riddled with problems – primarily around the prices of the players (caused by the market being flooded with coins that had been gained by illegal means) – that EA hobbled their previously useful Companion and Web Apps, and introduced Price Ranges to cap how much players could be sold for. This, in itself, doesn’t seem like a terrible thing, but EA decided to introduce it several months into FIFA 15’s cycle and communicated it dreadfully. FIFA YouTubers have, knowingly or not, contributed to this problem by taking the money offered to them by sponsors or fans and used it to buy an obscene amount of the game’s card packs. By doing so, they’ve been able to assemble some of the best squads in the game, leaving many of their viewers to probably spend beyond their means in order to get those players too. EA continues to deny it, but the game clearly features “scripting”, presumably in an attempt to even the playing field a little. Scripting in FIFA is similar to the “rubber-banding” phenomenon in racing games, where opponent’s cars will seem to get a little boost to keep the race competitive. In FIFA’s case, this manifests in a few different forms. Simple passes start to go astray. AI defenders will suddenly and inexplicably decline to run in for challenges. Opposing goalkeepers will turn into the bastard offspring of Lev Yashin, Peter Schmeichel and Gordon Banks. Players with pace ratings in the 90s will start to be caught or blown past by players with pace rating in the 70s. In a game of skill, it understandably boils the piss of those on the receiving end of it. So, as you can see, it’s a game with undoubted issues. And yet, still, I can’t help but play it. As do millions of others, all of whom are also aware of its flaws. I can’t speak to why they continue to play it, but I can take a stab at why I do. Got, got, need, got, need… As a child of the 80s, FUT hits a very specific nostalgia spot for me – namely that the opening of card packs, and the possibility of seeing a rare shiny card in it, provides an almost-identical thrill to that I felt upon opening a pack of Panini stickers back then. And whilst my “pack luck”, as it’s known in FUT circles, has never been outstanding, I’ve had enough good players in there to justify the money I’ve spent on it in the last couple of years. Much like how I never actually completed a sticker album, but was happy to get that Mo Johnston Watford sticker. I considered that a good year. I like hybrids, but I don’t mean Prius It’s pretty easy to put together teams with full chemistry in FUT, if you stick to players from one league. The real challenge in squad building lies in creating hybrid, multi-league squads that also have that full chemistry, and it’s probably where I glean most satisfaction from the game. The image below is from the spreadsheet of players that I maintain. No, I’m really not kidding. It has become a valuable tool in my squad-building enterprise, allowing me to group players by leagues, nationalities and positions. This, in turn, allows me to create the ultimate Frankenstein’s Monster of a team. Oftentimes, I’ll only ever use a team I’ve put together once, before blowing it up and starting again, looking for that extra point of overall pace or passing or shooting. I am the mad scientist of Ultimate Team. As goes online, so goes offline This harkens back to me being a “bit of a shitebag”, but FUT actually does a pretty decent job of catering for people like me. Pretty much all online game and mode types within Ultimate Team are reflected with an offline equivalent. They normally come with less reward – fewer coins and packs – but you can still rack up a tidy little sum from these games, and some of the higher difficulty settings offer up similar challenge to that of playing a human with decent ability. So, if you’re like me, then there’s still plenty to be getting on with. Ranges in the night Whilst Price Ranges have been the most controversial change to FUT, for players like me – ones who don’t want to spend hundreds of pounds on FIFA Points – they’ve been a very welcome addition, putting several players within reach, where previously they’d have been impossible for me to buy, unless I pulled them in a pack. Whilst I can understand why some may find them limiting – players could go for upwards of 10 million coins in FIFA 14 – the move to Price Ranges arguably widens the appeal of the game to a larger audience. I know that I’ve certainly found it more enjoyable recently. Just by the very nature of the game, Ultimate Team is likely to continue being the topic of much debate. Any game that relies on both online servers AND micro-transactions always will be. The fact that it’s a game mode within an EA title just intensifies that focus – and everything that comes along with it – that much further. None of it changes the fact that it remains the main reason that I own an Xbox One. Make of that what you will… (please don’t hate me…)
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