Major Gameplay Changes:
- "Team Playstyle Level" removed as a gameplay element, affecting "Team Playstyle Proficiency" and player abilities.
- No more alterations to player images at max level.
- Foil Player Cards from the Standard Player List are discontinued.
- Challenge Events are now called "Themed Events" with the introduction of "Loan Players" for easier participation.
- "Base Team Settings" are relocated to the Game Plan section, allowing for individual setups per Game Plan.
Dribbling Enhancements:
- Dribbling speed slightly increased to balance against defending.
- Fixed an issue where dribbling players would go out of bounds or lose possession to opponents during a sliding tackle.
Feints Improvement:
- Enhanced response for body feints, Scissors Feints, Overtakes, Flip Flaps, and In & Outs.
Ball Control and Traps:
- Improved ball control and dribbling response after ball touches.
- Players now exhibit better awareness of the goal direction during ball touches.
- Automatic ball control towards the goal direction if no directional input is given.
- Addressed the issue of the ball rolling over the player's body when trying to control it mid-air.
Passing Enhancements:
- Adjustments for passes, allowing players to choose more suitable teammates as targets.
- Improved through balls to be played to more appropriate positions.
Shooting Adjustments:
- Players with high "Kicking Power" stats have slightly higher shooting speed.
- Quick shot motion for close-range First-time Shots, reducing wide foot swings.
- Fixed low trajectory issue with Chip Shots.
- Improved header motion for receiving Chipped Through Balls and mid-air balls from behind.
Kicking Improvements:
- Reduced the frequency of extra touches after a kick input.
- More natural kick motions to minimize unnatural body positions during shots.
- Slightly reduced kick speed for kicks following a "Knock-on" input.
Kicking Motion Improvements:
- Fixed the issue where incorrect kicking motions occurred when the ball was far from the player's feet, resulting in poor response.
- Special kicking motions are now triggered based on raw Player Stats values rather than other factors like Condition.
- Addressed the problem of players sometimes scoring own goals in unnatural body positions when attempting to clear the ball.
Defensive Enhancements:
- Adjusted player positioning to make it easier to regain possession when applying pressure.
- Match-up player positioning adjustments.
- Fixed slow recovery after blocking.
- Improved situational judgment to avoid unreasonable blocks.
- Blocks and ball behavior now correlate with "Defensive Awareness" Player Stat and "Blocker" and "Interceptor" Player Skills. Ball recovery ease after a block correlates with "Tackling" Player Stat and "Blocker" Player Skill.
Goalkeeper Improvements:
- Goalkeepers now make better decisions to catch oncoming balls instead of always punching them away.
- Fixed instances where goalkeepers did not take action after coming off their line.
- Addressed issues where goalkeepers missed back passes resulting in own goals.
- Improved punt kick trajectory accuracy.
AI Adjustments:
- Adjusted supporting player positioning in relation to the ball holder to facilitate smoother passing plays in attack.
- Fixed issues with player timing when trying to make runs behind the defensive line.
- Ensured that full backs no longer make overlapping runs outside the touchline.
- Improved player behavior during counter attacks to prevent untimely stops.
- Enhanced the movement of players with the "Roaming Flank" Playing Style when positioned near the ball, making it easier for them to move into the flank.
Playing Styles:
- "Fox in the Box" players no longer receive the ball with their backs to defenders; "Target Man" players do.
- "Fox in the Box" players make more runs behind the defensive line.
- "Goal Poacher" players make more runs behind the defensive line in "Possession Game."
- Easier for teammates to receive passes in the final third with "Out Wide" Team Playstyle.
- Centre forwards make more runs behind the defensive line in "Out Wide."
Passing and Positioning:
- Improved teammate positioning during throw-ins.
- Players in offside positions quickly get back onside.
- Players dodge away from teammates during shots.
- Players maintain better distances during man-marking.
- Adjustments to man-marking movement after kick-off.
- Full backs maintain man-marking duties instead of moving centrally.
- Improved player speed when expecting Chipped Through Balls.
Substitutions and AI Behavior:
- Increased AI-controlled team substitutions.
- AI behavior in VS AI matches is aligned with individual characteristics.
- Difficulty balance adjusted for different Match Levels.
Foul Decisions:
- Adjusted foul decisions for fairer calls.
- Avoid calling offside fouls when defending players are likely to retain possession.
Controls:
- Position Shift commands are now available during free kicks after changing the camera angle.
- Fixed the issue where changing the camera angle during goal kicks led to unintended Low Through Balls instead of Chipped Through Balls.
- Adjustments prevent unintentional sliding tackles when the ball is too high or too far.
Other Gameplay Enhancements:
- Improved cursor switching to appropriate players in defensive situations.
- Stamina consumption adjusted, addressing midfielders running out of Stamina in the second half.
- Fixed match timing issues, ensuring matches end at the appropriate time.
- Form now affects player Conditions; "Normal" or "Inconsistent" Form impacts Condition less. "Inconsistent" Form players with "B" or higher Live Update Rating now have "Normal" or better Condition.
- Added new animations for shooting, blocking, tackling, and more.
Global Improvements:
- Reduced the application size.
- Adjusted stadium announcement acoustics.
- Enhanced picture quality for the "High" Graphics option.
- Various minor adjustments across modes and matches aimed at improving the overall gaming experience.