Feedback - Gameplay Integrity, Momentary Control Loss, and Engine Neutrality

Dear EA SPORTS FC Development Team,

I am writing as a dedicated member of the competitive football gaming community to provide critical feedback concerning persistent issues that fundamentally compromise the integrity of skill-based gameplay: scripted momentum shifts and the instability of core mechanics.

The Core Problem: Artificial Drama (Scripting/DDA)

The game frequently exhibits moments where the underlying mechanics appear to favor goals during specific, non-random periods, particularly around the 45th and 90th minutes (plus injury time). This is not about the drama inherent in real football, but the perception that the game engine temporarily overrides player control and physics predictability to inject forced drama.

This manifests in two deeply frustrating ways:

1. Defensive AI Paralysis: In these crucial late-game moments, user-controlled defenders and goalkeepers often become momentarily unresponsive, misposition themselves, or fail to execute simple actions (like clearing the ball).
2. Attacking Input Buffs: Conversely, the attacking team's passes become impossibly precise, shots defy physics, and the ball magnetically snaps back to the attacker during tackle attempts (the "rebound loop").

Instability of Core Mechanics: Dribbling and Passing

Beyond the late-game momentum, the fundamental actions of playing football—dribbling and passing—suffer from constant inconsistency due to your ongoing tinkering and updates:

• Dribbling Fluidity: The feeling and responsiveness of player control while dribbling changes frequently with patches. This constant instability prevents players from mastering the subtle art of player movement and touch, as the mechanics they learned one month are often altered the next. We require a stable, predictable, and fluid model for close control.
• Passing Consistency: The inclusion of random, unpredictable elements designed to make passing harder feels detrimental to competitive play. We value skill in choosing the correct pass, angle, and power; however, the game frequently sabotages well-executed passes with random inaccuracies. Passing accuracy should be a direct, consistent reflection of player stats, input quality, and tactical situation, not a function of a hidden difficulty modifier.

The Competitive Contradiction

A truly competitive game must maintain a neutral and predictable physics engine from the first whistle to the last. We want the pressure of the 90th minute and the challenge of high-level dribbling to make us make mistakes, not for the game to force our AI-controlled players to fail or our controlled players to misfire.

Our Request

We urge the development team to prioritize the following:

• Engine Neutrality: Ensure the physics and AI behavior remain consistent regardless of the match time or score line. Eliminate coded "drama" spikes.
• Core Mechanic Stability: Define and commit to a stable, highly responsive model for dribbling and passing. Future updates should focus on balancing, not fundamentally altering, the core feel and consistency of player control.

We believe that returning to a pure, skill-based foundation—one that rewards mastery of stable, predictable mechanics—is essential for the long-term health and integrity of EA SPORTS FC as an esport and a competitive title.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this critical feedback.

Sincerely,

A Member of the EA SPORTS FC Competitive Community - amnesty457