Problem: Player Momentum and Reactions

[Alberts]

This is one thing that is really starting to bother me in game. Player momentum and movement. There is something quite wrong at the moment with it and it seems to be the stem of multiple problems in game. Before patch 2 we saw the issues (on the consoles) with the super fielders, and whilst it's not so pronounced, fielders can still do some quite odd things.

Watching the ball come off the bat off a 150+ km/h ball and the keeper just saunter up to the ball to take it is absolutely bizarre. The same can be said for straight drives, with the bowler just taking a calm step or two and sticking his hands out like it's nothing. It seems that the players have a reaction time of zero, and momentum doesn't matter for them. If they need to move, they just do, regardless of previous direction. The reason there is a first slip is because the keeper can't just calm walk into the position and dive from there, but in this game he not only can, but does with no concern whatsoever.

So two things that should be high on the priority list it seems are reaction times for players after an event (human reaction time, even for the best, is not going to be consistently better than 150 ms) and momentum to prevent them just strolling along. It would fix a lot of the fielding issues and allow a realistic keeper and slips cordon.

I have a suspicion that issues with the keeper and slips are also being masked a bit by the lack of edges the AI gives away, but that's another issue.

Speaking of other issues though, particularly with caught and bowled chances. In addition to fixing the bowlers ability to still get a hand to far more than he should, not everything that is catching should be stopped. There should be a system to allow input to be required in some circumstances to even stop the ball, let alone catch it. Caught and bowleds are the perfect example of this, with some people complaining about getting dropped dozens of time in such circumstances, showing that whilst it clearly isn't a high percentage chance, the game is still constantly stopping these shots from being scoring chances, when many of them should be.

 

[blockerdave]

This is one thing that is really starting to bother me in game. Player momentum and movement. There is something quite wrong at the moment with it and it seems to be the stem of multiple problems in game. Before patch 2 we saw the issues (on the consoles) with the super fielders, and whilst it's not so pronounced, fielders can still do some quite odd things.

Watching the ball come off the bat off a 150+ km/h ball and the keeper just saunter up to the ball to take it is absolutely bizarre. The same can be said for straight drives, with the bowler just taking a calm step or two and sticking his hands out like it's nothing. It seems that the players have a reaction time of zero, and momentum doesn't matter for them. If they need to move, they just do, regardless of previous direction. The reason there is a first slip is because the keeper can't just calm walk into the position and dive from there, but in this game he not only can, but does with no concern whatsoever.

So two things that should be high on the priority list it seems are reaction times for players after an event (human reaction time, even for the best, is not going to be consistently better than 150 ms) and momentum to prevent them just strolling along. It would fix a lot of the fielding issues and allow a realistic keeper and slips cordon.

I have a suspicion that issues with the keeper and slips are also being masked a bit by the lack of edges the AI gives away, but that's another issue.

Speaking of other issues though, particularly with caught and bowled chances. In addition to fixing the bowlers ability to still get a hand to far more than he should, not everything that is catching should be stopped. There should be a system to allow input to be required in some circumstances to even stop the ball, let alone catch it. Caught and bowleds are the perfect example of this, with some people complaining about getting dropped dozens of time in such circumstances, showing that whilst it clearly isn't a high percentage chance, the game is still constantly stopping these shots from being scoring chances, when many of them should be.

would add "zones of influence"... if a ball is gonna land 50m away from a guy, he should not be catching that ball. for every 5m away from the player's starting position the ball is gonna land, there should be a 10% reduction in his probability of catching it.

there's something just "off" about the whole fielding, from the catches they make, balls they stop, positions they take, ground they cover etc. the whole thing is just wrong.

 

[Biggs]

Agrees with a few of these things, fielding clearly is still a work in progress in terms of balancing, I think a lot of the outfield stuff is much improved in the second patch, especially in regards to the inner ring fielders but the keeper/slips need work

 

[blockerdave]

Agrees with a few of these things, fielding clearly is still a work in progress in terms of balancing, I think a lot of the outfield stuff is much improved in the second patch, especially in regards to the inner ring fielders but the keeper/slips need work

It's not as bad, but they still make catches they just shouldn't be making.

 

[handsome]

Speaking of other issues though, particularly with caught and bowled chances. In addition to fixing the bowlers ability to still get a hand to far more than he should, not everything that is catching should be stopped. There should be a system to allow input to be required in some circumstances to even stop the ball, let alone catch it. Caught and bowleds are the perfect example of this, with some people complaining about getting dropped dozens of time in such circumstances, showing that whilst it clearly isn't a high percentage chance, the game is still constantly stopping these shots from being scoring chances, when many of them should be.

I was going to raise this one among the most annoying parts. A fast bowler bowling at about 150+ Kmph can jump from one side of the pitch to the another and stop a well timed shot which is hit even before he completes the run up.

@ Ross - This needs to be fixed, the bowler cannot stop almost 70-80% of the straight shots

 

[zimrahil]

But as been mentioned elsewhere the straight dive would need nerfing as its easiest shot in game to play so fix prolly not as easy as it seems?

 

[blockerdave]

But as been mentioned elsewhere the straight dive would need nerfing as its easiest shot in game to play so fix prolly not as easy as it seems?

Would need to be combined with beefing up proper lateral movement with seam/spin. Seam is essentially non-existent and spin minimal - bring those in properly and you're not going to find the straight drive quite so easy would be my hunch.

 

[Alberts]

Played a T10 to test some things, and it's just so jarring watching the players. They have instant reactions, they are pretty much at full speed, whichever direction they want, instantly. There really needs to be some work put into this to fix the slips and close catching positions.

 

[T.J.Hooker]

Would need to be combined with beefing up proper lateral movement with seam/spin. Seam is essentially non-existent and spin minimal - bring those in properly and you're not going to find the straight drive quite so easy would be my hunch.

But the problem is that you have to input your shot before the seam / spin happens, and there isn't really a lot of potential in the control system for responding to it. I suspect they'd just have to beef up the extent to which the batting control system adjusts for spin / seam to compensate, so the change would be mainly cosmetic.

The straight drive should be an easy shot in terms of getting bat on ball for a pro batsman, even to length deliveries. It just shouldn't be too easy to get pace on the ball and pierce the field.

 

[Alberts]

Would need to be combined with beefing up proper lateral movement with seam/spin. Seam is essentially non-existent and spin minimal - bring those in properly and you're not going to find the straight drive quite so easy would be my hunch.

In the right conditions you can get some stunning movement. One of my favorite wickets was an edge from a spinner where I got great purchase and it turned something like 10?+.

 

[blockerdave]

In the right conditions you can get some stunning movement. One of my favorite wickets was an edge from a spinner where I got great purchase and it turned something like 10?+.

You can certainly get decent spin, agree. I am yet to see any seam.

 

[zombieian]

Would need to be combined with beefing up proper lateral movement with seam/spin. Seam is essentially non-existent and spin minimal - bring those in properly and you're not going to find the straight drive quite so easy would be my hunch.

I agree. Swing and spin bowling you can actually play for, unless of course, the bowler bowls one that goes the other way. A seaming delivery is the one that you can't allow for. Bring in more seaming deliveries and the edges should increase and straight drives will be more difficult to play.

Regarding swing bowling, most of my (obvious) swing seams to occur once the ball has passed the batsman.

 

[grkrama]

The straight drive should be an easy shot in terms of getting bat on ball for a pro batsman, even to length deliveries. It just shouldn't be too easy to get pace on the ball and pierce the field.

^this, playing in the V is something that's actually easy in real life too, they just need to adjust shot power and close timing window for the perfect ones, no need of superhuman bowler on that note have a funny clip coming in.

this whole thing if you allow straight drives more runs will be scored is not at all a worry, all they would need is to do a few tweaks to the shot as well as make the ball bounce of the pitch if possible.

 

[Alberts]

^this, playing in the V is something that's actually easy in real life too, they just need to adjust shot power and close timing window for the perfect ones, no need of superhuman bowler on that note have a funny clip coming in.

this whole thing if you allow straight drives more runs will be scored is not at all a worry, all they would need is to do a few tweaks to the shot as well as make the ball bounce of the pitch if possible.

The issue with them is still largely how the bowler reactions. There is no reaction time, nor momentum, he (and the rest of the players) are still well beyond even super human in that regard. If they can fix that up, buff slightly depressing the defensive trigger to allow for drive drives with less backlift (with genuine pushes being about half depressed) and such, it will be a much situation for the straight drive and drives in general.

Along with this they need to fix the edges of course, but fixes to momentum and reaction time might stop the slips and keeper from just sauntering up to the ball like it's nothing.

 

[zombieian]

The issue with them is still largely how the bowler reactions. There is no reaction time, nor momentum, he (and the rest of the players) are still well beyond even super human in that regard. If they can fix that up, buff slightly depressing the defensive trigger to allow for drive drives with less backlift (with genuine pushes being about half depressed) and such, it will be a much situation for the straight drive and drives in general.

Along with this they need to fix the edges of course, but fixes to momentum and reaction time might stop the slips and keeper from just sauntering up to the ball like it's nothing.

I do agree that it's a good idea but it's something that EA have slightly overdone in FIFA 2014 in my opinion. Getting the balance right and still keeping the game enjoyable is quite important.