EA has confirmed details of the late-October patch for FIFA 22, as well the series' first-ever ‘live tuning update’ – which enables minor changes to the game engine without the need for a full patch.
The new patch is already live on PC and Stadia, and expected to roll out on consoles imminently. Going by the name Title Update 2, its main areas of gameplay focus relate to the manner in which AI players block lobs and crosses, and animations related to finesse shots.
Previously, opponents were unrealistically effective at getting in the way of lofted balls: “Specifically, AI controlled players were able to stretch too far when attempting to block lobbed passes and crosses,” explains operations producer Goran Popovic. That success rate has been toned down, with contextual animations adjusted to ensure that flailing limbs don’t automatically stop the majority of lobs and crosses.
The finesse shot fix relates to players using their wrong foot. “When requesting a finesse shot, the ball carrier could sometimes go out of their way to take it with their dominant foot,” explains Popovic. “This could have led to situations in which an okay finesse shot could occur, but maybe you would have preferred to try a higher risk/better outcome weak foot finesse shot.” As a result, player decision making has been adjusted so that sometimes they’ll gamble with their wrong foot rather than always lead with the more dominant instep.
Popovic goes on to explain how the new live tuning updates work. “It enables us to roll out some changes without requiring a full Title Update,” he says. “This can allow us to make tuning changes faster and with more frequency while working on the balance of the game.”
Finesse shots are again the focus of the debut live tuning update. With finesse shots from outside the box forming the early meta – as mentioned in our FIFA 22 tips guide – their success rate from distance has been adjusted. It'll now be harder to score when attempting one, “between 49.95 feet/15.22 meters and 149.85 feet/45.67 meters from the goal line."
“Our expectation is that there will be fewer long range Finesse Shot goals being scored than before LTU #1, but not so few that they feel overly difficult to accomplish,” says Popovic.
Other gameplay tweaks are more incremental, yet important – for instance, a bug where refs would occasionally award a free-kick for a foul inside the box has been removed, and the broken Outside Foot Shot Trait now functions correctly. Automatic player switching has been fine-tined, and erratic moves when trying to shield the ball have been toned down.
Off the pitch there are small improvements to Ultimate Team to report – such as, “When reaching a new Stage in Division Rivals, the post match screens did not highlight the new Stage.” Career mode gets some tinkering too. News scenes for the Europa League and Champions League have been added, a bug pertaining to youth players disappearing in year two has mercifully been removed, and all international fixtures display correctly on the in-game calendar.
You can see a full list of Title Update 2 patch notes at the official EA forums.
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