Preview
EA SPORTS FC 24: The biggest leap ever for the biggest football video game franchise
Losing the license was not a setback in terms of innovation and realism.
EA SPORTS FC 24 marks a new direction in interactive soccer, and straight from Amsterdam, we got all the details on what will undoubtedly be a milestone in the franchise.
Gameplay changes
Hypermotion V makes it possible to increase the realism of players, especially in the way they move during a game. This new patent, which has been in development for more than 4 years, creates more authentic animations and movements. The partnership with Opta makes it possible to capture the different player styles. This is done by combining motion capture with volumetric musculature, which allows for a more accurate approach to the players. The most interesting thing is that it is no longer necessary for the players to wear suits to capture their movements, but they will be able to capture them directly from a video. Sam Rivera, Senior Gameplay Producer of the franchise, gave us as an example that in some cases they could capture a new celebration of a player through the video of a match to later integrate it in the next update of the game or next year’s edition if it was something very special.
In terms of numbers, where the previous technology only captured information from a few matches, there are now more than 180 matches, representing 1.3 billion frames of data to process.
One of the new movements that we will see is the emblematic flight that Norwegian Erling Haaland finished with his right leg in the last Champions League, as well as his particular way of running and finishing.
AI MIMIC is another new technology that uses artificial intelligence to analyze how each player moves. This algorithm learns the details of each player and applies them to the EA SPORTS FC 24 gameplay. The information from 1,200 players is what they have in their database for this new title.
On the other hand, the AcceleRate 2.0 patent has increased the 3 movement archetypes from last year to 7, so there will be many more variables that we will notice in the acceleration process of players on the court.
Also included is AI True Flight Ball Physics, an algorithm that learns how the ball moves in real life using body data.
Another change will be the Kinetic Physical Play, which has been visually improved and will be used throughout the squad to give a more realistic physical feel to the game.
Among the new features in the graphics engine is motion capture of the fingers of the hands, making the player’s movements more natural.
The localization through Opta, will allow through its player database to have two player profiles, PlayStyle and PlayStyle Plus, the latter will be dedicated only to the best players in the world, especially to have movement patterns and even how they can hit the ball. In this edition, there will be 34 styles, 68 permutations, and 5 types of passes.
As for the passes, we will have to be more precise, in fact, at the time we played it, we could feel it, with all the curvature in the through balls.
For those who like to dribble at full speed. Now there is also a special function that allows you to control the ball at a higher speed, glued to your foot.
We will also have to make short touches to dribble or sweep. Defensively, there will be a kind of one-foot blocking or even sweeps on the fly.
The shots now have a much lower latency so that it will be a bit more agile, and the best part is that this applies to both home and online play.
And the special moves were not long in coming, this edition will have new ones, from those to perform spectacular little hats to very colorful ball stepping.
The new presentation
EA SPORTS Sapien Technology is a new technology that improves the capture of player anatomy, one of the most criticized points of FIFA 23. In the same section, clothing now has a more accurate movement, something that will give it a new level of realism.
To improve the depth of field and the appearance of the crowds and stadiums, EA SPORTS FC 24 will now apply a more pronounced ambient occlusion effect.
One of the details that will have the greatest impact from the moment we launch the game will be the interface and the animations that will adorn the game, slightly emulating the preview of a game broadcast with a more straightforward and more spectacular menu. In fact, this has been taken to the maximum by creating dynamic animations per match, even bringing it to the Ultimate Team games.
Undoubtedly, one of the most spectacular additions is the animation of game information on the field, since we will be able to see statistics per team such as goals, missed shots, trajectories of these shots, possession time, probability of winning, and even the most tired players, among others.
More applied to the gameplay, for example in free kicks we will be able to see the percentage of accuracy in the shot, the distance, the angle from which the ball will be hit, and the distance to the goal.
The presence of the stadium audio has also been increased, if desired, this will emphasize the noise of the environment by mixing it with the commentators. The cheers will be more intense when the shot draws closer.
Ultimate Team
One of the main changes in this mode is the progression of the player, which can be done through in-game challenges. The interesting thing is that once completed, the player will be able to level up permanently. However, not everything will remain there, because if in the following season, there are some challenges that can be adapted to the same player, we will be able to level him up even more to get a PlayStyle Plus.
One of the most significant additions is the addition of women’s soccer to Ultimate Team, allowing for mixed teams and bringing the total number of players to 1,600.
The chemistry now with this new coed variable will allow for a good amount of combinations that will take advantage of the PlayStyles. With a good balance of players that can take advantage of these variables, we can see very strong teams.
Regarding the player information update, in an interview we had with Jean Teather and Garreth Redder, they confirmed that everything will be handled in the same way as it has been for the last few years.
Playing coach
Now there will be 7 tactical visions and coaches with different visions, this will allow us to have different training and coaching plans. If the training goes well, the players themselves will be able to improve their PlayStyle.
To better understand how the team is performing, we will be able to select different camera modes to better analyze our players.
Managing our player’s career
Agents have been introduced to help us achieve the career we want, they will guide us to fulfill our aspirations and reach the club of our dreams. A special camera has also been added to see our players better.
In these two modes, dynamic moments have been introduced, among which we will find celebrations in the city of the team we manage or, in the case of the career mode, we can even see a kind of award for the best player, very much in the style of the Golden Ball.
Clubs and Volta
Cross-play will now allow players from different platforms to compete against each other, for example, a PC player can now play against a PS5 or Xbox Series X player. Campaigns will be updated every 6 weeks, allowing each player to try multiple times.
As for the reputation we earn, this will be reflected in stadiums, trophies that can be displayed in the stadium, animations and other things that will make our court a more personal space.
The community will also be able to create their own uniforms to give their teams a unique look. PlayStyles will also be available in this mode.
And for the founders
On November 11, an exclusive Founder status will be unlocked with a badge, cover and kit alluding to EA SPORTS FC 24.
We can assure you that EA SPORTS FC has changed for the better, for those coming from FIFA 23 the changes will be natural, at least what we could perceive in the beta we played, but if you come from a previous edition the change may feel a bit more radical, but with a very positive approach.