Mondays Are Back! FIFA OTP?

[Zeppo]

Ok folks. Mondays are back to gaming time for me now that there is no more football . All I really want to play anymore is FIFA OTP however, so there it is! (If NHL had support for five on five, it might be more attractive to me. . . .)

At some point, I'd love to try a zany game of 8 on 2. I do believe we could do it, assuming we can get a full friends-only room. The 'any' would only have three players to switch to! Wacky! Even though four of the eight would be red, I think it's worth it to try it out at least one time. If all the reds are locked and the any is a unique color, maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

Trying an eight on two or seven on three would be a lot of fun, but if it's not in the cards this time, that's fine. I just want to play more OTP with lots of friends, or even just take on the world of randoms with a friends side of five or six.

10p est is when I'd like to get started. Late comers make sure to get our attention and we'll get you into the next game.

Who's in?

[RobVarak]

To quote Michael Jordan: "Quite naturally."

BTW, there is no question that 2 any's in a five-man side is a necessity. The good teams are too damn good at exploiting the bad defensive AI. Those guys playing Juve yesterday tore apart the Roma back line because every time I'd shut someone down they'd chip in a pass and beat the AI defender. It was like having my head slammed against a rock...repeatedly

[Zeppo]

I don't agree. I think with any fewer than five, two anys is always a good idea because there are too many players for one any, but with a full five-man team, one any is preferable. For me, two anys can get in the way of each other as much as they may help each other.

However, I do think a full side should have one defensive-minded locked player, such as my DM (or maybe someday I should try a CB) or at least some defensive 'paying attention' from the wingers. Also, I do think having both strikers locked is only in very special cases acceptable, and yet that's the norm (all those greedy, lazy, can't be bothered to defend strikers out there. . . ). But with four locked players well-distributed around the field, and one or two of them at least helping out some on defending, I lean towards one any on a full team. I will say it's only a slim margin of difference, though. The worst thing of all is getting stuck with no any if the any drops, as happened last night. The possibility of that happening is enough for me to be happy with two anys all the time.

But when I play in random-land, more often than not I'm the any, and I like being the only any just fine. It's certainly a lot better than having a second any who's just getting in the way. The one thing that really irks me is when other players hold down the shoot button, which is, of course, the 'defensive help' button, thus pulling my guys out of position all over the field. That drives me up a wall!

[Macca00]

Even though messrs Hicks and Gillette make me want to steer clear of all things pertaining to professional soccer (both real life and virtual) - I'm in.

[GB_Simo]

But when I play in random-land, more often than not I'm the any, and I like being the only any just fine. It's certainly a lot better than having a second any who's just getting in the way.

You can call me by name, I don't mind

My aversion to giving Rupert Murdoch money means I'm watching the NFL highlights on free-to-air TV tonight, but if I make it online I'll see if I can get involved. 3 in the morning for me, though, so no voice comms...

[RobVarak]

I don't agree. I think with any fewer than five, two anys is always a good idea because there are too many players for one any, but with a full five-man team, one any is preferable. For me, two anys can get in the way of each other as much as they may help each other.

However, I do think a full side should have one defensive-minded locked player, such as my DM (or maybe someday I should try a CB) or at least some defensive 'paying attention' from the wingers. Also, I do think having both strikers locked is only in very special cases acceptable, and yet that's the norm (all those greedy, lazy, can't be bothered to defend strikers out there. . . ). But with four locked players well-distributed around the field, and one or two of them at least helping out some on defending, I lean towards one any on a full team. I will say it's only a slim margin of difference, though. The worst thing of all is getting stuck with no any if the any drops, as happened last night. The possibility of that happening is enough for me to be happy with two anys all the time.

But when I play in random-land, more often than not I'm the any, and I like being the only any just fine. It's certainly a lot better than having a second any who's just getting in the way. The one thing that really irks me is when other players hold down the shoot button, which is, of course, the 'defensive help' button, thus pulling my guys out of position all over the field. That drives me up a wall!

Part of the problem is that you don't generally know the quality of the competition. Good players destroy the defensive AI. I think the CB's actually play ok sometimes, but the SB logic is a disaster. Long through balls and diagonals just carve open the back lines (which is why I so often eschew playing the ball through the middle, much to your chagrin, Zep). The SBs either play insanely deep (keeping everyone onside) or make long runs out of position to the opposite wing from which they can't recover their positions.

With one any there is basically have no margin for error in those cases. And with most of the teams playing the top 4 or 5 teams in the game one-v-one tackling becomes a low % situation for the defense. A second any allows one human to close down the ball handler outside the box while the second accurately marks potential target men. That just doesn't work with one, because even a proper switch to the centeral defender is often untimely and even more often ineffective. So you have to pick your poison, either leaving the AI on the trigger man or the target man and making their life a bowl of cherries.

[Zeppo]

(which is why I so often eschew playing the ball through the middle, much to your chagrin, Zep).

Think of me as a fulcrum. Me calling for you to 'use the middle' doesn't mean I will take it up route one. I thought you knew me better than that! I will almost always look to switch it, or go to the weak-side wing with a long-ball than dribble or pass it through the CBs. To me, using the middle as a fulcrum is key to getting the ball into the wings, behind the defense exploiting the weakness.

When I'm not locked in the CM, I do have a hard time seeing space in the center circle vs. seeing space down the line. But believe me that it's there, because when I'm locked, it's pretty obvious whenever everyone on the opposition gloms towards the ball near the sideline.

Anyway, to the two anys, fair enough. I would say that the offside trap move is very well done in the game, but never used by me or you, and that may help control that wandering fullback problem if we could use it.

For me, teammates using the defense assist command screws me up a lot more often than the CPU AI on its own.

[RobVarak]

I(which is why I so often eschew playing the ball through the middle, much to your chagrin, Zep).

Think of me as a fulcrum. Me calling for you to 'use the middle' doesn't mean I will take it up route one. I thought you knew me better than that! I will almost always look to switch it, or go to the weak-side wing with a long-ball than dribble or pass it through the CBs. To me, using the middle as a fulcrum is key to getting the ball into the wings, behind the defense exploiting the weakness.

When I'm not locked in the CM, I do have a hard time seeing space in the center circle vs. seeing space down the line. But believe me that it's there, because when I'm locked, it's pretty obvious whenever everyone on the opposition gloms towards the ball near the sideline.

Anyway, to the two anys, fair enough. I would say that the offside trap move is very well done in the game, but never used by me or you, and that may help control that wandering fullback problem if we could use it.

For me, teammates using the defense assist command screws me up a lot more often than the CPU AI on its own.

Every time Itry the offside trap the one back is so far back, seriously in the 6-yard box, that it doesn't work LOL

And I do like to work the ball through. OTOH so many randoms wolfpack the ball so badly that beating them witht the SB means a clear run or long pass right up the flank.

[Slumberland]

I should be on. I can't make it through those dense tracts on OTP strategy, but I should be on.

[RobVarak]

Absolutey brilliant stuff tonight, guys. So much fun. I think we only lost once, and that was the game where I picked up that lousy f---ing penalty..and it still went to ET.

[Slumberland]

Good times... would have like to stay longer, but the lady and I had to extract a bullet that was lodged in someone's heart... on the Wii, of course.

[Macca00]

We're pretty damn good!

Mmmmm....hamburgers......

[Slumberland]

I do love hearing the reactions of pubtards when they see our team selections.

[lsdean]

Great time, boys!!!