In recent years, changes in Career Mode have been minor – new leagues and stadiums, cosmetic changes, and live negotiations have come. But what do career fans really wish for FIFA 19? What should EA present as a new feature?
Update:
- You can find all official updates in the Career Mode of FIFA 19 here.
- The young top talents in the career of FIFA 19 are here.
While FUT is presented with many new features every year at the release of a new FIFA title, fans of other game modes often feel left behind. Developers are often accused of only caring about the Ultimate Team mode while neglecting the other modes.
Especially the Career Mode could use a breath of fresh air: The manager career has felt stale for years. The change with interactive transfer negotiations last year was a nice new feature, but it quickly becomes boring and doesn’t change much about the gameplay. Career fans are thus demanding innovations!
In recent days, there have been many infos about FIFA 19, but there is still no news about the Manager Mode. Until EA Sports presents the official updates, there is still time to express wishes and hopes. Here are ten things the community wishes for in the Career Mode of FIFA 19.
An online Career Mode
An online aspect in the Career Mode. Of course, the ability to play an online career against or with friends has long been on the wish list of many career enthusiasts. Since a complete online mode with the appropriate servers is probably hard to implement, EA could first focus on a coop career only with friends.
What could a coop career look like? Not much would need to be changed about the existing Manager Mode. Only the function to start a career online with 2-3 friends and a variant to synchronize the individual players would be necessary.
One option would be to divide the calendar into match days and the time between match days. Each player could then proceed to the next section only when all the other players have given their okay.
First features of the Career Mode from the FIFA 19 beta have been leaked.
Smarter transfer AI
The transfer behavior of the AI is poor. A problem that is complained about every year is the transfers of the computer-controlled teams. You’re wondering why Manchester United almost always plays against you with youth players?
The reason is, ManU has ten world-class strikers but only four defenders, two of whom just come from the academy. After many played seasons, the squad composition of some teams runs similarly.
What can be improved? The AI should be revised. Why doesn’t EA incorporate regular, small updates about rumors from the real football world?
Youth teams and leagues
Talents are only selected by rating. For years, a change of the youth academy has been hotly debated in the community. Many clubs rely on youth work, but in the Career Mode of FIFA, it feels more like shopping in a supermarket: The potential value is the most important, and the player with the best stats is acquired.
What could a new system look like? First, there should be leagues in which the youth teams (e.g., a U23) of the clubs compete against each other. As a manager, you should receive reports about these leagues: standings, top scorers, best tackle rates – there are so many possible statistics.
However, players themselves should not display a rating or potential. Instead, one must recognize the potential world stars by their physical characteristics (size, weight) and given statistics (goals with the weak foot, distance covered, etc.).
Create your own club
The next feature has actually been included in FIFA before: The ability to create your own club.
This change is self-explanatory. You should be able to create or even customize things like names, logos, stadiums, or the players themselves. Because while it is fun to lead clubs from the English fourth league to the Champions League title – it would be even more fun with your own hometown club!
Club management: stadium expansion and staff
Even if this wish leans more towards Manager career than manager career, a more extensive club management would still be welcomed by many. In this regard, the mode holds quite some potential, even though some things have already been somewhat similar in FIFA:
- A custom stadium with expandable stands, parking lots, roofing, snack bars, locker rooms, and advertising banners
- Diverse staff with influence on the team: doctors and physiotherapists for recovery, media spokespeople for international marketing, assistant coaches for attributes like stamina or strength
- More control over finances with sponsor negotiations or by setting ticket prices
The manager – more identification with oneself
While you play as the coach of your team in Career Mode, you have hardly any options to design this coach. Therefore, there should be significantly more options to customize yourself and truly represent the manager:
- Character editor: Similar to the “Pro Mode”, you should be able to create your coach through an editor – it works for players after all.
- Conduct interviews: The personality of a coach also includes their public appearance. Therefore, you should be able to hold interviews and press conferences in which you can respond differently to questions.
- The contract: Why do you have a contract without a contract term? And why do you have to look for offers from other clubs yourself, although they should actively approach you? Such problems are easy to fix but have existed for years.
According to leaks, the manager customization in the career mode is set to really come.
Customizable jerseys
The same jerseys every season. No club plays two seasons with the same jersey. However, if you go through a career in FIFA until the end, you will get tired of your own jerseys after at least the fifth season.
This can easily be changed with a jersey change every summer. A jersey editor to customize the socks, shorts, and tops should not be impossible in today’s times.
More clips and short sequences
Even though the transfers and the short clips when a new player is signed were nice – there is definitely more that can be done!
In addition to the aforementioned interviews and conferences, clips could be used, for example, to represent the cup or CL draw as a video. Signing or the medical check of a new player could also be integrated as a short sequence.
DYNAMIC EVENTS
Overall, the career mode is still very static. Much is predictable, and once you understand the system, very few obstacles are put in your way. There should be a little more dynamism in the events. These could look different:
- A new youth player scores a hat trick in their first match, for which they get a rating boost of several points
- Two players don’t get along, and their morale, and thus their ratings, drop unless one of them is sold or loaned out
- A player is heavily criticized in the media for something they did off the field, affecting their rating. Now the manager’s skill is required at the press conference to take the player out of the line of fire.
- First call-ups to the national team or an important goal gives confidence – and thus a rating boost
It is important that these events occur not only in your own club but also in other clubs so that the AI clubs can keep up with the development.
Player salaries as annual salaries
The last point is simple and short: Salaries should be indicated as annual and not as weekly salaries. In reality, salaries are almost always given in years, so why is it different in FIFA?
What do you wish for the Career Mode the most? Let us know in the comments! The changes for FIFA 19 are already set, but the hope that something big will still happen in this popular game mode traditionally dies last.
