Title Update v1.4.0 is a 10-Step Regression: You’ve Deleted the Skill Gap

To the EA Development Team,

I am writing this as a 30-year veteran of football simulations and a player who has finally reached a breaking point. With Title Update v1.4.0, you haven't just "balanced" the game; you have fundamentally broken the "Human" element that makes competition meaningful.

The "Ghost" Defense & CB Abandonment: The most glaring failure in this patch is the defensive AI. My center-backs are literally stopping mid-run while attackers sprint past them in the middle of the pitch. This isn't "free-flowing" football; it’s a hardware failure. You reduced AI reaction times to create "space," but you’ve actually created a "Ghost Zone" where manual positioning is punished and defensive awareness is non-existent.

The "Quicksand" Effect: The dynamism from the December update is gone. Off the ball and on the ball, my players feel like they are stuck in quicksand. Turning is laboured, passing is sluggish, and the "zip" that allowed for surgical, creative play has been replaced by a "scrum in the mud." When everyone is slow, the best player is no longer rewarded—victory now goes to whoever can button-mash through the collision physics first.

Machine Testing vs. Human Instinct: It is clear that this patch was tuned for AI vs. AI metrics, not human feel. Bots don’t feel the frustration of a ball rolling right through an intercepted lane. Bots don't feel the "Input Weight" of a 50lb delay on a simple pass. You are trying to eliminate "Basketball Scorelines" (6-5, 7-6) at the cost of actual gameplay integrity. Scorelines don't matter, fun does! 

One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back: The last update was a massive step in the right direction. For a moment, the game felt fast, dynamic, and rewarding. But like clockwork, the other shoe has dropped. I am losing faith that you can maintain a balanced game for more than two weeks without "Mashing" the hardware into the ground.

The 2K Reality Check: For the first time in 30 years, I am genuinely done. You are opening the door wide for 2K to enter the space. If they provide a game that is FAST, dynamic, and respects manual defensive skill, the migration will be instant.

The Fix is Simple: Keep the offense FAST. Keep the passing DYNAMIC. But make the defense FAST and DYNAMIC to match. You don’t fix high-scoring issues by slowing everyone down into the mud; you fix them by rewarding the player who can react as fast as the software allows. High scores are not the enemy!! It's inevitable with the skill gap that's going to happen when millions of people come together online. 

If your AI-only testing shows 'better flow,' your metrics are lying to you. A human player feels the transition delay that a bot ignores. Same with the 'running in mud' feeling. Return the game to its December state and IMPROVE defensive speed and AI ability to match the offensive dynamism we all want - let the player skill be the determining factor in a game that allows for pace, creativity and fun.

Maybe EA should stop solely testing with bots and start playing your own game. 

Thanks,