FIFA 19 introduced some new features and changed some aspects from its predecessors. What worked, what didn’t – and what should definitely return in FIFA 20?
The FIFA 19 season is coming to an end. The TOTS Event marked the beginning of the final months of the game. Before FIFA 20 is released in the fall, it is time to take stock.
We took a look at the FIFA subreddit and summarized how the new features performed in FIFA 19. Where do players see room for improvement, and what should return?
Division Rivals
This is the Division Rivals mode: Division Rivals is the main mode in Ultimate Team throughout the week. Here, players compete online in different divisions.
The goal: To have similarly skilled players compete for promotion to the next division. Every Thursday there are rewards, and players can qualify for the Weekend League through the system.
This is how the feature was received: The Division Rivals not only replaced the Seasons system from previous FIFA titles but also eliminated the Daily Knockout Tournaments. Previously, players qualified for the Weekend League through these daily tournaments.
Back then, players had to win four matches in a row to earn the right to participate in the Weekend League. However, that was not easy: Four wins in a row were rare; often, players would get eliminated in the finals. Consequently, the new system, where players could qualify for the Weekend League through a points system over any period, has become quite popular. Individual losses now do not have such a drastic impact.
It is worth noting that the Weekend League now had only 30 matches instead of the previously familiar 40, which was also well-received.
This is what fans wish for FIFA 20: Division Rivals is overall considered a success based on reactions on Reddit: “Division Rivals and the qualification process for the Weekend League are great,” says user “TheTinRam“. The rewards every Thursday are worth playing for in the divisions. Also, the qualification system for the Weekend League works better for most people compared to before.
However, EA could still improve here: On one hand, the Rivals Matchmaking still feels a bit inconsistent at times. Too often players face opponents who are either significantly too strong or too weak.
Furthermore, many players wish for some kind of tournament mode to return in the next game. However, it should not be about qualifying for the Weekend League but rather about gaining good packs or even specific special cards.
Timed Finishing
This is Timed Finishing: The Timed Finish was arguably the most important gameplay change introduced with FIFA 19. A well-timed shot could noticeably increase one’s goal rate. But did the feature work?
This is how Timed Finishing was received: The new shooting mechanic is still dividing the community.
- Many users find it good to be rewarded with goals for better timing skills.
- However, most players feel that Timed Finishing is definitely too powerful.
- Completely unrealistic shots from far away still reliably find their way into the net.
Even though there have been patches addressing this already.
This is what fans wish for FIFA 20: Most players want Timed Finishing to return, but not in its current form. If good timing improved a shot’s realistic success rate from 70% to 95% – that would be acceptable for most players.
Conversely, completely unrealistic shots should be removed. They lead to the exploitation of Timed Finishing, making the games feel too uniform and boring. If this isn’t improved, some Reddit users would prefer to see Timed Finishing removed altogether: “Remove it or limit it so much that it is no longer nearly as effective as it is now,” says user Gbrown546.
The Manually Controlled Keeper
This is the manually controlled keeper: With the right stick, it was possible in FIFA 19 to move the goalkeeper directly in one’s own penalty area. This allowed for improved positioning of the keeper.
This is how the feature was received:
- Moving the keeper proved to be a good way to defend corners or free kicks better.
- It was also often useful in one-on-one situations to manually control the keeper.
- Especially against long-range Timed Finishes, the movable keeper was the most important counter.
It only looked bad if one sent their keeper completely out of position. Then the opponent only had to score.
This is what players wish for FIFA 20: There is no real reason to remove the movable keeper – this is the clear sentiment in the subreddit. Especially if Timed Finishing remains in FIFA 20, the movable keeper could become indispensable. A conclusion from Reddit user so_grandiose: “Moving the keeper is a true skill gap. Do it wrong and you will be punished, become an expert and reap the rewards.”
The defensive options thus become even more diverse. The only issue: Controlling via the right stick can be a bit clunky at times.
The Event Count
This was special about the events in FUT: In FIFA 19, there were significantly more events than before. Almost weekly, the promos changed:
Future Stars, FUTmas, Prime Icon Moments, FUT Birthday, Ultimate Scream, Carniball – to name just a few. The list is long.
This is how the feature was received: Events were a double-edged sword for the community.
The main issue: Too often, events felt like they were only created to sell more packs. The fact that good cards could be earned through weekly tasks was only occasionally the case. Moreover, most event cards are hard to obtain – unless you spend a lot of real money on them. And even then, it remains extremely unlikely to pull top cards.
Some events, however, were very popular. The RTTF cards, for instance, based on real Champions League performances, brought a lot of excitement to the game and were correspondingly interesting: “If there is a promo that should return, it is this one,” says a Reddit user, receiving much agreement.
This is what fans wish for FIFA 20: Aside from the difficulty in obtaining the cards, they felt very arbitrary to many players. Criticism arose that the abundance of special cards led to a form of inflation – if all cards are special, none are special.
Especially the TOTW, once the highlight of the week, suffered from the many promos. Furthermore, there is the practical problem that sometimes it is difficult to find the desired type of special card in the transfer market. There are simply too many – but a filter for promos is missing.
Moreover, the cards have hardly any unique features – apart from their flashy designs. Especially the Carniball event brought strong cards, whose values players could not always understand.
The Future Stars event was well received, as it highlighted talents; in the end, however, it was just another series of new special cards. More connection to reality was desired: “The connection to the sport the game is based on is important,” says Reddit user jdbolick: “When strong cards are introduced that have nothing to do with the sport, it becomes meaningless.”
Fans would greatly appreciate it if they could improve the cards through specific challenges.
Perhaps EA will make improvements in the next installment and make promos a bit more exciting and accessible. However, many fans hope that the event calendar in FIFA 20 will be scaled back. Or that the events will be more enjoyable without spending real money.
FUT Swap Deals
This is the FUT Swap Deals: The FUT Swap Deals represent a special event that runs throughout the entire season. Over each month, players could earn so-called FUT Swap players through weekly tasks, SBCs, and Squad Battles. At the end of the month, they could exchange these for rewards – and some of those were quite rewarding.
This is how the feature was received: FUT Swap Deals were not completely new. However, the implementation changed compared to FIFA 18. Overall, the reorientation of FUT Swaps was well received: They allowed players to earn good rewards through consistent playing.
This is what players wish for FIFA 20: Although FUT Swaps were well received, players on Reddit hope for some adjustments: “They were good, but it would be nice if they gave us more tokens”. That way, players could afford more rewards. Additionally, it was not possible to exchange unused FUT Swap players in the following month. Hence, saving was not an option.
Many hope that this will be adjusted in the upcoming FIFA installment.
House Rules – an option for FUT?
This is the House Rules: In kick-off mode, it was possible in FIFA 19 to play fun modes like “Survival” or “No Rules”. The “House Rules” consistently brought fun with friends on the couch. However, they were not available online.
This is how the feature was received: The fun matches against friends provided a new gaming experience. Suddenly only six players were on the field, or players could tackle without penalties in the penalty area. Most players had a lot of fun with the House Rules, and they received good feedback.
This is what players wish for FIFA 20: House Rules were not available in Ultimate Team. Of course, this is a competitive mode.
Nonetheless, many fans wish for a change here. Even at the announcement of the House Rules mode, users like Reddit user stone-face-lock asked: “Why only offline?” Online variants would bring some fun into the grind.
- Perhaps one could implement a corresponding option in online friendly matches?
- Maybe a kind of casual draft could be possible, where these rules apply?
- Would a street mode, modeled after the popular FIFA Street installments, be an option for FIFA 20?
There are plenty of ideas. However, it seems uncertain whether EA is interested in integrating House Rules into FUT.
What changes would you like to see in FIFA 20? What should go – and what should stay? Let us know in our Facebook group for FIFA 19!
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