14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at EA Sports is getting ready to put the finishing touches on the upcoming FIFA 15 and it seems that the company only has one core aim for the release: to deliver a fun experience that gamers can continue to play in the long term without getting bored.
Nick Channon, a producer working on the title, tells VG247 that all the new mechanics and features added in the football sim are included in order to deliver engaging and interesting experiences, starting with the new and improved goalkeepers.
He states, “It took us two years. Keepers now have much more intelligence to make decisions on the fly. We now have the processing power to do it. We can branch animation, letting them dive in one way whereas previously they would just dive and deflect. There are really big changes to how the animations now play; it makes it much more fluid.”
Goalkeepers in FIFA 14 have a tendency to stay on the line at corners instead of rushing out to take the ball or punch it, and there are also moments when they perform poorly in one on one duels.
For the new title, EA Sports is introducing more ways for them to deal with attacking threats and they will be helped by smarter defensive-minded teammates.
Channon also says that dribbling is another of the systems that have benefited from new animations in FIFA 15, giving players more options when they have the ball at their feet.
He adds, “It’s just a natural evolution of what you do. A lot of the animations need to change because the systems change. This year we’ve redone dribbling, so there are lots of things to do there. It’s the same with defending. But we also do aesthetic things for variety to make the game feel fresh every year.”
FIFA 15 will not emphasize one aspect of the football experience over another and that means both defensive and offensive plays are upgraded.
The ball physics should also make it easier to predict where passes are heading and to deliver more powerful and well-aimed shots on goal.
FIFA 15 will be offered on the PlayStation 4, the PC, the Xbox One and last-gen consoles at some point before the end of the month.
All those who are interested in trying out the game can do so via an EA Access hosted trial which will last for six hours.