Review: Great potential, but core mechanics and balancing need a major overhaul
I've tested the game thoroughly, and while I appreciate the direction you're aiming for, there are currently too many flaws in the core mechanics that undermine the competitive experience and overall fun. Here are the critical issues that I believe urgently need addressing:
1. Inconsistency between Stats and AI Behavior
Pace and Positioning: Players on the pitch often "sleep" and positional AI seems to ignore stats. If my defender has 85 pace and the opponent's attacker has 90, it’s fair that the attacker is faster, but the defender must be able to challenge or at least track them with a realistic gap. Currently, the pace difference results in getting completely blown past, making defenders useless.
Goalkeeper Balancing: The weight of individual stats is unbalanced. It makes no sense to have a goalkeeper with high overall attributes but a "20" in reflexes who remains completely motionless, conceding 4 or 5 goals on as many shots. Stats need to compensate for each other more organically.
2. Passing System and Ball Control
Intrusive Directional Assistance (Pass Locking): Passes often ignore the analog stick input. If I aim a pass into open space, I expect the ball to go exactly there, rewarding my vision. Currently, the system forces a "lock" onto the first teammate it detects, often resulting in backwards passes or passes to completely unintended areas, completely negating the player's logic and intentions.
Passes and Through Balls: Passing in general needs a thorough review. Through balls, in particular, are poorly calibrated and often frustrating to use or defend against.
L2 Abuse (Shielding): Close ball control using L2 is currently overpowered. If a player spams it, it becomes mechanically too difficult to dispossess them, creating unrealistic and unbalanced gameplay situations.
3. Defending, Physics, and Input Management
Physical Tackles and Collisions (Clipping): The use of the "Physical" stat in tackles feels clunky and unnatural. Player impact translates into a mere clash of 3D model hitboxes (colliders) without proper pushing or shoulder-to-shoulder animations. As a result, the pushed player is displaced by an excessive distance, looking like two colliders clipping and repelling each other in a glitchy way.
Teammate Contain (R1 Button): The AI teammate press triggered by R1 is ineffective. The called player just runs towards the opponent to be a nuisance, but never actually closes the gap to attempt a tackle, ending up running aimlessly and stopping abruptly.
Punitive Tackle Animations: When you press the tackle button, the defender performs the action but gets "rooted" to the spot. This animation lock punishes mistakes far too harshly, eliminating any chance of recovery and making defending an excessive risk.
Input Buffering and Lack of Super Cancel: This is a severe missing feature. The game buffers commands too rigidly. It happens very often that I press the tackle button, win the rebound, and see my player unintentionally clear the ball because the game read the previous input but executes it in the new possession phase. It's crucial to add a mechanic to instantly cancel an action (Super Cancel).
4. Ball Physics and Rebounds
Scripted Rebounds: During scrambles, continuous ball rebounds seem to lack a truly neutral physics system. Too often the ball bounces unnaturally right back to the team that previously had possession, giving a strong feeling of "scripting".
Collider Deactivation (Ghosting): This is an unacceptable technical issue. In chaotic scramble situations (especially in the box), an AI-controlled player might run towards the ball, but it literally passes right through them. It feels like the player's collider is temporarily disabled by the game engine in these moments, creating a "ghost" effect that ruins any defensive effort.
5. Set Pieces
Corner Kicks: Goalkeeper behavior on corners is way too aggressive and effective. Currently, they rush out and block almost every cross inside the six-yard box. To successfully land a header, you are forced to aim the corner almost at the edge of the penalty area, which is unrealistic and severely limits tactical options.
I hope this constructive feedback, focused on hitboxes, inputs, animations, and balancing, helps you iron out the flaws. The project has the potential to become a highly valid alternative in the football gaming landscape.
