Hey FIFA fans,

The holiday season is approaching, and in the spirit of giving, we bring you yet another edition of the Pitch Notes, this time focused on FIFA 19 Title Update #5, available now for PC and targeted for release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the near future.

This title update is primarily focused on addressing community reported issues, but there are a couple of gameplay changes that we wanted to detail as part of the continual effort to provide clarity around the changes that we make to the game. For a full list of everything contained in this update, please check out this post on our official forums.

GAMEPLAY

The two changes to in this title update that we want to focus on are a change to some first time finesse shots, and a change to the Elástico skill move.

SHOOTING

We have seen the feedback coming from the community that the effectiveness of first time finesse shots was too high. In a previous title update, we had made adjustments to reduce the effectiveness of first time finesse shots where the ball was being received by the player from behind. In this title update, we continue to make adjustments to shooting, reducing the effectiveness of first time finesse shots where the lateral ball velocity is high.

To understand this change, we first need to talk about what we mean by 'lateral ball velocity'. In the context of this change, the lateral ball velocity is the difference in degrees between the incoming angle of the ball when it is being received by the player, and the angle of the ball leaving the player as they take a shot. It's important to note that the angle of the ball leaving the player is not the same as the target of the shot, as the ball can curl or swerve after it has left a player's foot from a shot.

So, as an example, assuming that the angle of the ball leaving a player's foot from a shot is 0 degrees, and the ball was coming into the player at 75 degrees, than the lateral ball velocity would be 75 degrees.

With that out of the way, let's dig into the actual change.

A first time finesse shot, with a high lateral ball velocity, is now more likely to be impacted by error, resulting in potentially less accuracy, ball speed and ball spin. In addition, the impact that a player's Finishing Attribute will have on reducing the chance of error for these shots has also been reduced.

While this change can affect all first time finesse shots, the change is most impactful when lateral ball velocity is 90 or 270 degrees, or essentially when the ball is coming into the player directly to the left or right of where it is going to leave their foot. The full range of impact for this change is:

• Lateral Ball Velocity of 0 degrees (lowest impact) to 90 degrees (highest impact).

• Lateral Ball Velocity of 180 degrees (lowest) to 90 degrees (highest).

• Lateral Ball Velocity of 180 degrees (lowest) to 270 degrees (highest).

• Lateral Ball Velocity of 0 degrees (lowest) to 270 degrees (highest).

Below is a visual representation of the above, where 0 degrees is the point by which the ball is leaving the foot of the player taking the shot.

To better illustrate how this change plays out in game, here are examples of 100 shots being taken by Eden Hazard, where the lateral ball velocity was 86.25 degrees. The blue lines show shots that would have been on the net, which could end up as saves by the keeper or could end up being goals, while the red lines show shots that would have been off target.

Before Title Update:

After Title Update:

SKILL MOVES

The feedback from the community was, that when executing the Elastico Skill Move, the ball was travelling too far away from the dribbling player. We have adjusted the distance that the ball moves away from the player when executing this move to keep it closer to the dribbling player.

Below you can see a video comparison of a 5 star skilled player performing the Elastico Skill Move before and after the title update. After the title update, the ball stays much closer to the dribbling player.

Thank you to everyone in the FIFA community for your continued FIFA 19 feedback. Continue the discussion around these changes, and the others in Title update #5 on our forums.

Joel Doonan, Gabriel Zaro and the FIFA Team

For more deep dives on FIFA 19 from members of the game team, check out the Pitch Notes Page.

Please Note: This article is describing in general terms what updates are implemented in Patch #5 in FIFA 19 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. We are constantly looking to improve the gameplay experience for everyone, so this article may become outdated as we make adjustments to keep our game fun for everyone.

FIFA 19 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. 

Stay in the conversation on all things FIFA by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitterand Instagram, and participating in the official FIFA Forums. Sign-up to receive emails about EA SPORTS FIFA and EA products, news, events, and promotions.