This game is losing players due to unequal latency

If you spend some time in EAFC communities and/or check the third party data then you will realize this game is expericening huge difficulities attracting & retaining new players while losing a lot of existing players. I have been in this forum for 7 years and I have kept on pointing this issue out: The unequal latency is killing this game

I am putting a summary here:

1. Every year, the game is becoming more and more complex ---> Latency becomes no.1 important factor in online matches

2. However, the server locaitons give advantages to about 40 to 50% of total players which is the worst set-up ---> you should either favor as minimal as possible (say 5%) or as much as possible (say 90%)

3. In match-making, the system only considers about the win-loss but not the latency ---> it gives no reward, no credit, no respect to those higher latency players who makes more effort to achive the win-loss and they just stop playing

Let me explain the above issues in detail:

1. Regarding the latency, your distance to server equals to the ceiling of how good you could be in online matches

   i. In the past years, the game design favors the micro-gameplay more and more. Just take pacing as an example, 30ms faster to trigger the button could give huge advantage to lengthy player to chase and tackle your explosive forwarder

   ii. The latency creates huge unfairness to players who get rewards (no matter from matches or packs): Mbappe is a totally different player in someone with 5ms ping compared to other with 30ms or even 50ms

   iii. But Latency or distance to servers is some thing people can never improve. If you have a higher ping, no matter how much time and effort you put in this game, you could never enjoy the experience from low-ping players

   iv. I have been living and playing in many cities around the world (NYC, LA, Sydney, Auckland, Beijing and HK), in Auckland I have never won a single game in weekend league against my friends in Sydney (we are similar rank in WL and in the same chat group) but when I was in Sydney it's always 50-50 games. I cannot remember how many times they do technical dribbling to humilate me while I just cannot make the tackle because I am in Auckland.

   v. Here is another example, there is 1 server in Tokyo which covers entire Japan and also South Korea. If you live in Seoul or North Japan, the gameplay experience is quite different. Just check the list of players who qualifers for the Offline matches in the area, I believe players from outside Tokyo is zero.

2. However, the huge mistake is locating servers in about 50% of major cities which will eventually result only those 50% players will stay and play

   i. The best senario is definitely placing server in all major cities while have enough players to match-making, but we understand it is impossible to achieve

   ii. But the best alternative is clearly not the current set-up which favors about 50% of total population, because the number of players who benefit from the latency is too much: For players with higher ping, every 2 games there is 1 game playing against a player who sits on the server and requires you play with more effort and no room for any mistake

   iii. But if the servers are located in more neutral areas which only favor about 5% of total polulation, the match-making would be more "fair" to everyone

3. The match-making only considers about win-loss, but ignores the huge effort behind the higher ping players who achive the same result of lower ping players.

Hence, people who live in cities without server coverage simply stop playing because it is so frustrating, especially when they realize there is nothing they could do to improve their online performance. And this is also why we see EA is doing whatever they can to atrract new players and motivate people to play online games but achieve very little result. And also, we see significant amount of players just stop playing online matches in a normal way, but pair with chat group players and make everyone 7-7 wins in WL.

In my own opinion, there are two solutions should be considered:

1. Set-up latency neutral servers for players with ping higher than maybe 25 or 30ms, and provide a asylum for them to play

2. Match-making players with similar pings then similar win-loss ratio