FIFA veterans already know about the Sliders system, since it was introduced years ago, but there are still a huge number of players who have not heard, or experimented, with this important section of the game options. Basically, sliders let you adjust gameplay characteristics, both for the player and the artificial intelligence. This only applies to single-player though, since online play always defaults the sliders.
These sliders come into play in accordance with the game difficulty, if you setup the same sliders for Professional and World Class, the latter will continue to be harder than the first. However there are many sliders, each with a value between 0 and 100 (50 is the default value for all), and if you don't know what you are doing, you can radically change the game experience (even spoiling it completely), although you can always return to the original values. The brave who decide to experiment heavily with these sliders and other settings, believe they have stumbled upon something of a holy grail amongst players: "the most realistic gaming experience of FIFA."
FIFA 16 is no exception and includes the same Sliders system (also available in the playable demo). We won't go so far as to say the game will become ultra-realistic, or that the experience will change dramatically, but we believe we have found a setup that removes some of the obvious advantages that favour the artificial intelligence and make it a fair, but challenging experience for the player.
Before we begin, it should be noted that these settings were implemented under the following conditions: World Class difficulty, 6-minute matches, normal game speed, and control settings divided between assisted or semi. Some players prefer to play with manual controls, adjusting the sliders to higher or lower values, but these are the most balanced settings for FIFA 16 in our opinion. Below you can see an explanation for each Slider and the values we chose for our setup.
Category: Player Value / CPU Value
Sprint Speed: 49/47
Raising this option will increase the maximum speed of the players, which naturally greatly influences the pace of the game. FIFA 15 was clearly excessive in terms of pacing, something the new edition is keen to reduce. Still, we believe that these touches - especially for the AI - makes for a more realistic game.
Acceleration: 48/46
The higher the value on this slider, the faster players will reach their maximum speed. Honestly, it seems that both need to have lower values, as the CPU in particular can make some crazy sprints down the sidelines, especially when playing on higher difficulties.
Shot Error: 50/50
This setting defines shooting accuracy, and the higher the value, the wider the shot will go. We have chosen to leave this value in the predefined setting, because both the player and artificial intelligence will usually be able to hit the goal without exceptional placement.
Pass Error: 49/52
Similar to what happens with shooting, the higher the value of this setting, passes will hit the mark with less frequently. In this category we needed to slightly improve the efficiency of the player, worsening the passing skills of the artificial intelligence. In the default settings, the AI can exchange the ball with infuriating efficiency.
Shot Speed: 49/49
Shots in FIFA 16 are strong but not too strong, so we decided to only slightly lower their speed. Shots grow weaker the lower this value is. In this regard, both the player, and the CPU, seemed balanced.
Pass Speed: 49/48
As with shooting, the passing only needs a light touch to improve the game's pacing. In the World Class difficulty, it seems that the CPU's passing is slightly higher than the players, so we decided to balance things out by reducing it an extra point.
Injury Frequency: 50/50
As the name implies, this option increases or decreases the frequency of injuries per game. Some players like to increase this category so there are more injuries during a game. In contrast, many also lower this option to avoid having to deal with injured players.
Injury Severity: 50/50
This sets the severity of injuries, i.e., the higher the value, the bigger the chances of a serious injury. As mentioned above, some players increase the frequency, but reduce the severity, creating more injuries, but less serious ones. In our opinion these two settings are irrelevant so we let them be.
Goalkeeper Ability: 46/46
EA has greatly improved the keepers in FIFA 16, and in fact, they sometimes make some truly impossible saves. In our view, they are too good, but with no advantage to the player or CPU. That is why we lowered the values on both, so that the goalkeeper is less effective but also more realistic.
Positioning - Marking: 55/48
This is one of the points in which there is a large difference between the player's and the AI. While the player defends poorly, the CPU is relentless in its marking. That is why we improved the player's values and downgraded the CPU's. This will make it a bit easier to defend, and allow for some breathing space in the midfield.
Positioning - Run Frequency: 55/45
With this option you can determine the number of forward runs. If the player's AI sometimes seems a bit static, the CPU's never seems to rest, so we decided to create a good difference between the two values. In terms of game played, it seems that the two sets of AI behave more evenly in this configuration.
Positioning - Line Height: 55/55
The higher this value, the closer the defensive lines will be to the midfield. Sometimes they seem to be backing off a bit too much, so we decided to make them both go a bit higher up the field. But don't worry, it's not high enough to allow overly frequent counter-attacks.
Positioning - Line Length: 30/45
This parameter controls the separation between the lines of the team (defence, midfield, attack), which seem far apart in the default mode. With these options, the players will be slightly closer to each other, facilitating easier passing moves between them.
Positioning - Line Width: 50/50
With this option you can define the width of the lines, i.e., the distance between the fullbacks and the central defenders. The higher the value, the closer the line will be from touching the side. We saw no need to change the default settings.
Positioning - Fullback Positioning: 45/45
In today's football, the movement of fullbacks up the pitch is becoming increasingly crucial, but in FIFA 16 it seems somewhat excessive, to the point the fullback sometimes moves further along than the winger. So we have reduced the value for both the player and the CPU. This provides a good amount of forward runs from the fullbacks, without leaving the defence exposed too often.
First Touch Control Error: 50/52
Setting the First Touch error defines the efficiency with which the player controls the ball when they receive it. In this case, the higher the value, the greater the chances of a poor reception. From our experience, the CPU controls the ball with excessive ease, so we have opted to slightly decrease his control.
Power Bar: 50
This option is only available for the player, and controls the time you need to press buttons to fill the power bar. We like the default value, so we haven't altered this.
Hopefully you found this Sliders guide useful. In our opinion these changes alter the balance of the game and make it more enjoyable. Of course this doesn't mean that it'll suit you. The important thing is to learn a little more about this side of FIFA and to try different things until you find your perfect set of values for the game.
