Ultimate (team), Master (League) & Career (Mode). That’s what I’ve been playing sporadically this week, another mixed bag of gaming.
I haven’t really felt the verve of FIFA 21 career mode this week, the opportunities I’ve had to play I’ve just wanted to dive in, play something quickly accessible, and not get too bogged down.
I’m sure my thirst for career mode and steering Luton Town Fc into the giddy heights of Europe and the summit of the PL will return, just not been there this week, I have played a few matches, and I’m having a pretty torrid time of it at the moment.
League form is horrendous, we have won 1 and lost 7 of our last 8 matches, just can’t seem to get anything going, runs, movement etc all feel stunted, my match sharpness is at a decent level but the attacking gusto just isn’t there, I’ve also switched back to tactical defending, meaning you cant clamp-press to take the ball back, you can’t in FIFA legacy defending either but its much more manual on tactical, I switched back in order to try and hone the skills in this mechanic for when playing Ultimate team, but it feels broken to me, more on that in a bit.
As a result, we have been conceding too many goals, hence the 7 losses. Here’s our current league predicament:
14th place currently, having won just 5 of those 15 matches. Last seasons Championship goal king, LuaLua just can’t cut it in the EPL, he’s rated only 67 OVR, often played above that in the EFL, but Prem defenders just snuff him out, new signing Awoniyi from Liverpool and club stalwart Cornick have picked up the attacking mantle.
this is our squd:
Decent-ish considering our budget, but obviously not good enough for the Premier league.
The board expect us to avoid relegation, so this season should be a success in that respect, we won’t go down, and will use it as a building block season, get some more money in, and make some more signings.
One thing I haven’t seen before which I did like, which again sets CM apart from PES ML, are these types of interactions:
Rea is club captain so a nice touch it was him that approached me on behalf of the team, even if they are expecting, unrealistically, to win something, our first season in the Prem, highly unlikely.
Anyway, I had to reply to this, which obviously affects the team morale, I said I was aware performances weren’t great and was working hard with the staff to rectify it, he seemed happy with that.
The press conference before our next match followed on from this too by asking if the team were happier now I had provided some clarification on how we would improve things, a nice touch.
I have also been dipping into PES 21 ML, still got my Norwich save going, and was hoping to post some ML related content, and videos in this post, but booting the PC up the other night, PES21 updated, downloaded Dp4, also the steam client updated too, and ever since that, PES21 would not work anymore.
i load the game but immediately upon playing a friendly, or playing a ML match, the game freezes and crashes out to windows.
I tried playing the game vanilla, without sider and all the PC mods, no good, I tried playing different matches and modes, no good, I copied the base exe and dt18 files back (because I was using modded gameplay ones0, no good, I verified the integrity of game files through steam multiple times no good, i rebooted the PC, no good.
I ended up posting on evo-web about it and mod over there, SuperLeeds, replied, turns out DP4 changed a load of stuff in-game, and the fix was to ad the PES21 data folder and game directory to the exceptions list in my Anti virus software, now its all working fine again, with sider and mods, but was too late to get any footage and content captured for today’s post.
Lastly, ‘ve still been dabbling with FIFA Ultimate Team, and actually really been enjoying it, haven’t come across too many idiots, but I feel the allure of the mode is ending, it was a nice dabble, but ultimately, pardon the pun, its not for me.
FUT is pretty much the anti-christ of football, its everything I hate about proper football, its fast, frantic, end to end, absolutely no fouls, and played by people who have to win at all costs, with often ridiculous scorelines.
I chose to build my squad from mostly Brazilians, I have a decent squad, I have not spent any real money on any packs or anything, all the players i acquire are from completing objectives, earning rewards from milestones etc, but match after match i come up against teams of world class galactico superstars, Allison in goal, Van Dijk and Ramos at CB, Trent at RB, Marcello at LB, Pogba, Thiago, Salah, in midfield, Mané, Ronaldo, Messi up top, its absolutely ridiculous.
Every team is set up purely with extremely fast players and all they do is sprint past you, and score, you are powerless to stop it, I had a look on the transfer market and Mané was 34 million coins, you get around 1000 for a win, how the hell these people all amass teams of such high rated players I’ll never know, and never be able to compete with, so every single match I play I am starting massively handicapped.
It is good fun to have a few matches though, always nice to break away and score against an idiot who has been playing the game like a pre-pubescent little brat, here’s a video with a few of my more recent FUT goals:
Lastly, if you are looking for a nice, quirky, different little game to play, take a look at Little Nightmares, available on PC and console, its a side scrolling 3D platform puzzler game, with gorgeous graphics, and consists of having to make your way through levels, solving puzzles, climbing etc to get from one room to another.
FIFAFX.com 
Haha, that FUT footage is superb Paul! Some actually really nice football and brilliant finishes from your modest team against the insane pressure of superstar opposition. The little dinked finishes in particular. Was chuckling about your tendency to take the piss with the goalie, and chuckling even more when the one time you were caught out it was offside!
As for the offline game, I do like the fact that in FIFA some players can’t make the step-up, as in real life. In league 1 James Norwood got 34 goals for me last season just by being slightly stronger and quicker than most defenders but in the Championship he is completely anonymous.
Cracking weekend up here, 15 degrees warmer than the previous one, got started on a pile of spring jobs in the garden, pruning all the roses, fuschia, salvia and hydrangea ready for this year’s growth. Had a flock of 25-30 redwings in too, quite unusual. Spent gaming time mostly on Valheim which does look decent but probably not my sort of thing – the crafting menu that opened up after acquiring my ‘crafting hammer’ killed my enthusiasm
LikeLike
Thanks Abbeyhill I’m actually reallu enjoying FUT at the moment, quite addicted to squad development as you can acquire and earn chemistry style cards to develop your players, and improve his ratings. I rarely ever buy any packs (only using in game coins not real money)and instead focus on developing existing players, working my way up the divisions is quite addictive.
I don’t usually ever do any of that silly GK coming our or other p*ss taking stuff, those 2 occasions you saw were a direct result of the oppo paying a high intensity, mega-press tactic, so had no choice other than to bring the keeper out to make another man available for passing options.
LikeLike
looks like it’s just you and me this week Paul. You contemplating getting the S21 Galaxy Ultra? Can’t remember if you upgrade every year or every two years. I’ve still got my S7 which remains a design classic but at 5 years old is really struggling to run smoothly these days. S21 Ultra sounds better than the S20 based on reviews but I dislike the way Samsung foist their inhouse Exynos chip on us in Europe every year whilst the rest of the world including Korea get a Qualcomm Snapdragon
Got my head down on Valheim last night and did some crafting, painstakingly assembling a large barn-like house next to the sea with a bed, fire, cooking rack, upstairs viewing platform with storage, fence round the garden etc etc. Was actually quite proud of my evening’s work, it has lovely views of sunrise through the upstairs window. Still not a patch on my daughter’s Minecraft fully functioning farm with attached cobblestone & quartz palace
LikeLike
Abbeyhill – I’ve already got the Samsung galaxy S21 Ultra, in Shadow Silver.
had it on release day, nice camera, very vivid colours, and fast, but really don’t see much difference at all from my S20 Ultra.
I’m on an anytime upgrade tariff, so upgrade every year, if i wasn’t i certainly wouldn’t pay £1400 for it, well I guess i am, just spread over a year.
LikeLike
It’s well known in birding circles that the redwing needs around 20 acres of territory which just puts abbeyhill’s claim of a modest back garden into context. Basically he owns Fife.
I’ve only played one game of fifa recently as I’ve been drawn into shadow of the TR. I defy anyone to ever claim they’ve done it ‘on one 10p’ as we used to say in the arcades. It is so impossible to foresee some deaths on the game that you have to accept a element of try, die and then complete with foresight. It doesn’t sit well with me but such is the platformer way. I’ll be back to anderlecht invincibles as soon as there are some decent midweek commentaries to listen to. Can’t get excited for this lockdown nearly over message, feels like we have been here many times before in only 12 months. Better weather is great though.
LikeLike
Taking advantage of the weather to do a spot of fishing today and Friday. Boom!!
LikeLike
I’m still here, lingering in the background like a labrador’s fart.
Haven’t had much time for FIFA recently, so no news to report on that front. I am however getting my Covid jab on Saturday.
LikeLike
Turf – I need to get back on Shadow of the TR, was really enjoying the mix of puzzles, shooters etc, as I said before it was like a beefed up Uncharted, and the remastered ed looks amazing on PS5.
Lloyd – Brave man, those winds are harsh, and cutting.I’m looking forward to going again soon though, got a brand new match seatbox to try out.
Chris99 – What age bracket do you fall under then?
LikeLike
Wow,yeah, chris99 must be like 100 or something?? Started laughing when I heard this vaccine passport stuff remembering all that Luton town I.d card business and the idea that one day we’d all have them. Hardly my fault if I’m in the last category to get jabbed and someone decides I can’t fly. It won’t stand up five mins in the courts.
LikeLike
Sorry all, I’m no Captain/Major/General Tom. Just over 50. Judging by friends around the country, when you get the vaccine seems to be a combination of post code lottery, council lethargy, and GP practice somnambulism.
LikeLike
I’m not sure I even know any over 50s…how are you managing to surf the web? bet these fifa controls are a big step up from Frogger Chris99…
What about that today in the day nighter…?! Bet you got no work done this morning Paul.
Played one game last night – should have been a routine win against lowly opposition. Parked the bus. Consequently, Club Brugge went top. It’s one of those familiar leagues where you have to win every game to stay ahead.
LikeLike
Today in the day nighter?? Turf??
My younger sister has a rare medical conditon, she’s 34 and she has had her first jab and a date for the booster. my dad is 65 and has had his first, my mum is 63 and hasn’t had her first one yet, the date of getting every Uk adult vaccinated by 31st july is going to be a tall order.
Haven’t played a single career mode match this week, just a few FUT games, fallen out of love with football recently after the refs single handedly ensuring man utd get at least 4 penalties every match, city’s corrupt arab oil money buying and corrupting everything, and Liverpool’s ridiculous collapse, just not ‘feeling’ the sport right now.
LikeLike
Surfing the web nowadays is a damn site easier than navigating Prestel 😉
Down here they are currently vaccinating people from work in their late 40s at St Mary’s.
LikeLike
the old pink ball stuff Paul. It’s an appalling looking trophy – huge advert on it, would be embarassing in the cabinet.
It seems a real set up to fail that 31 July, and no doubt they’ll claim different wording should it happen but yes, parents and inlaws have been jabbed once, wife has too through work and now has a date for jab 2, but doubt I’ll be seen soon. Found out last year that my GP has been sending me messages about a review but I never received any of them. I’m not sure how many folk even know I exist. Quite fancy myself as the Jack Reacher of the academic world.
LikeLike
That would make you about 6′ 5″ then Turf, but in the inevitable film of your life you’ll be played by a midget.
LikeLike
Haha, yes, I was one of those who said surely not when cruise got his mitts on it. Terrible casting but I guess he doesn’t have to audition, he simply tells people what he is going to do. However, there’s a series of books called Orphan X for which I think he’d be perfect. Sadly the jack reacher books have tailed off badly and now his brother is running the show I’m not sure how long it’s got.
LikeLike
havent played a single CM match this week, so nothing to report, but will be editing together and posting some goal vids and comments in here later
LikeLike
I played three last night. Lost to Club Brugge as the game decided to ramp up the difficulty massively – I heard the sliders stop the ridiculous over the top dribbling inside from the wings? It was impossible, couldn’t even foul them. Lost the next one to the team in 4th, same story. Won the final one which had fallen back to normality. Consequently, I’m already 7 points behind the leaders despite only losing 2 matches in 18. The post league playoff thing is clearly going to be another shitfest of boosted opposition.
LikeLike
Turf – sounds like something iffy up with your belgium league structure, are teams really THAT prolific that losses spell failure in the title race??
I think not if the real world belgian league table is anything to go by:
LikeLike
I’m third Paul – club Brugge have been not unlike their real side: played 18 won 15 and conceded only 7. What’s different is the top half dozen are almost as good, only 2/3 losses in 18 for each. I could easily go to 6th with a draw. Yet they are mid 70s players at best, no one well known is in Belgium outside my team at the moment.
LikeLike
Belgium gets weirder. Having played from the start of a season I now know that after 30 games it goes to a split league of title/relegation, and each team has its points total halved before the playoffs. Wtf?! Not that it matters as club Brugge only conceded 12 goals in 30 matches, with 26 wins. You can’t compete with that in a game, not with the scripting.
LikeLike
What Turf?!!? That’s one weird ass way of doing things.
I still haven’t played a career mode match in about 2 weeks. Enjoying FUT at the moment, dickheads aside, it’s fun to play against real humans as I found the AI in CM just too formulaic and boring.
Am well on my way to amassing the 2000pts needed from Division Rivals to quality for the FUT Champs weekend league.
LikeLike
Season 2 highlights video coming soon. Spent over 3 hours in pre season just scouting and finding players for season 3.
LikeLike
LikeLike
that goal at 2.40 wow!
LikeLike
Some nice thumps there Lloyd, and a few that are familiar routes for me – the quick striker in behind the defence is very much one of them, although your shooting seems much more accurate than mine. Normal shooting tends to be saved quite a bit, finesse doesn’t seem to finesse much, flair is useful 1 in 100 or so and I don’t bother with that timed finish business as it usually falls spectacularly flat. It seems very much to be who and where the player’s body is that works for me, especially if I pause slightly before striking.
Through to the final of the Croky Cup – the only Belgian knockout competition. I’ll play Charleroi and their noisy rabble of ex-pat supporters.
LikeLike
ALLEZ ALLEZ ALLEZ CHARLEROI!!!!!
Enjoyed the footage Lloyd, especially that last minute save and counter-attack v Burton, you must have been off your seat as you tucked the rebound away. As Turf suggests the pattern of play looks very familiar to us FIFA20-ers, all about holding the ball up and then through balls to the waves of overlapping runners
Not played my own Ipswich career for several days, will probably get back into it tonight and kick off season 3 in the Championship, enthused by Ipswich’s real life new manager and owner. Completed Ace Combat 7 and made some further progress in Valheim. The latter has got really hard after defeating the first of the 5 bosses – ventured into the Black Forest for the first time but a few minutes later was running out pursued by a massive troll and any number of aggressive dwarves. Ran back to my dwelling/spawn point and slammed the door but the troll destroyed the whole lot and me with one swing of his club so the game dumped me back, naked, at the start
LikeLike
Some decent goals Lloyd, what level do you play on? The spamming of the through ball for one on ones seems a bit too easy to pull off.
Still haven’t played a single CM mode match, in 2 weeks, have a carabao cup Semi against Spurs coming up, but been knee deep in Ultimate Team, playing the squad building challenges, and divisions rivals, its quite addictive and absolutely frustrating/angering at the same time.
heard a lot about this Valheim game, is it just another craft, loot, type game?
LikeLike
Paul – it’s on WC with os sliders. Helps that Higgins has 96 acc/97 sprint. Only 18 and gonna be a beast. Tough start in the Championship, lost 5-0, 6-2 and 4-1 in first three games. Plenty of draws as well, sitting 19th in November. Not too bad as I had 2 points after the first 7 games
LikeLike
Wow that is surprising Lloyd.
LikeLike
yeah that’s pretty much what Valheim is Paul, just a very well designed game within its genre – nice graphics style, solid physics engine, huge scope for creativity in combat and building. Online coop seems to have been a large part of its remarkable success, although I’m just doing it single player at the moment
LikeLike
Abbeyhill – I youtubed Valheim, turned off in disgust within 10 secs, after seeing the crafting screen.
detest those types of games with a passion.
LikeLike
I have a similar speed merchant and while he gets caught offside a lot you can rely on at least one through on goal per game.
abbeyhill – PC gaming – sums Charleroi and their entitled fans up. The fancy dans of Belgium.
LikeLike
Tonight we’ve seen the worst excesses of international finance as it became clear charleroi’s moneyed backers rigged the final. It was an awful shitshow of misplaced passes, out of position players and no hope of scoring no matter what I did. Look at what won it
LikeLike
beautiful, take that Anderlecht console peasants!
LikeLike
I was devastated. It was the classic team that didn’t turn up at Wembley having been great all the way through. I hate Fifa/Pes when they do this. League looks out of sight despite me beating Club Brugge – I’d have to win every game and hope they lose at least two more. I think this is possibly my best ever Fifa team (my strikers have 99 and 97 speed) and yet I might have to move on because of the stupid script that favours them so much in AI v AI games. I don’t suppose Spain or Italy is much different though. Maybe one more season for a crack at Euro competition, although this being Belgium they probably split the top 4 into playoffs for that as well!
LikeLike
Turf I find it amazing that EA devotes so much effort to denying there is scripting/momentum in FIFA when i) clearly there is and ii) clearly there should be some to avoid every game playing out the same. I guess gamers being gamers the company is keen to avoid massive online petitions, death threats, never ending legal action etc connected to the feature
LikeLike
Turf/Abbeyhill – Can confirm 100% despite EA’s insistence there isn’t, that there absolutely IS scripting/momentum involved in the game.
I have seen the actual code, it’s easy enough to get to via frosty editor on PC, there are multipliers based on match importance, league, competition, quality of opponents, whether its a derby etc .It takes into account previous 3 results, form and morale of current squad, and loads of other things, and the multipliers either increase yours or the AI’s player ratings, or decrease them accordingly, Dynamic difficulty, its termed as.
Anyone who’s ever played FIFA or PES will testify that cup finals are 10 x harder than any other match.
LikeLike