De voetbalgame eFootball 2022 is absoluut niet het succes geworden waar Konami op hoopte. De sportgame lanceerde in een dramatische staat en de Japanse uitgever annex ontwikkelaar bood zelfs zijn excuses aan. Men beloofde met een patch te komen die flink wat zaken moest verbeteren, maar moest uiteindelijk de update uitstellen tot de lente van 2022.

We spoelen snel een paar maandjes door en de dag is bijna daar. Konami heeft namelijk aangekondigd dat patch v1.0.0 volgende week gelanceerd gaat worden. In een uitgebreide post op de website van Konami leggen de ontwikkelaars uit dat zij zó gericht waren op het uitbrengen van de game, dat ze het allerbelangrijkste – kwaliteit – uit het oog zijn verloren.

De meningen van zowel critici als fans waren niet mals en volgens Konami waren deze volledig terecht. De afgelopen zes maanden hebben ze dus goed geluisterd naar de input van de spelers en zijn er een aantal belangrijke zaken aangepakt. Onder andere het verdedigen en het rondspelen van de bal is flink verbeterd. Konami zegt nu veel vertrouwen te hebben in de kwaliteit van versie 1.0.0 van eFootball 2022 en ze hopen natuurlijk dat fans het hiermee eens zijn.

Je kunt hieronder de lijst met verbeteringen en toevoegingen bekijken. Patch v.1.0.0 is vanaf 14 april beschikbaar.

Improvements and New Elements in v1.0.0

In response to your valued feedback, as well as to accomplish our aim of creating an even more enjoyable “New Soccer Game” for everyone, we have implemented a variety of fixes and new features in the game. Now, let’s go through some of the highlights of the coming update.

Changes to Defending Controls and the Addition of “Call for Pressure”

Out of all the feedback we have received, most of it mentioned defending. In particular, many of you commented on how difficult it is to defend and to win the ball back.
After reviewing the prioritizations of defense-related plays, we decided to change the default button settings to make defending more intuitive. Pressing commands that were available in previous installments will also be reintroduced into the game.
Furthermore, we added a new command, “Shoulder Charge”, for you to regain possession in a more proactive manner.

Pressure: Regain possession by applying pressure to the opposing ball holder.
Match-up: Jockey the opposing dribbler with a lowered stance and finer steps. This is also effective for blocking passes and shots.
Shoulder Charge: Win the ball back by barging your shoulder against the opposing player. Especially effective when the opponent has touched the ball far from his foot or is trying to trap the ball.

Apart from individual defending, we have also reevaluated the elements of team defending. As such, the command “Call for Pressure” has also been implemented in the game. On top of having several players going for the ball, other teammates will also work in tandem to regain possession by blocking passing lanes as well as pushing up the defensive line.

On top of these functional additions and changes, we have also made numerous modifications to other elements of the game that are fundamental to defending to provide a more responsive and intuitive defending experience.

Passing Improvements and New Command “Stunning Pass”

Besides defending, we have also received a lot of feedback regarding passing. Many of you commented that the passes were too slow and there were too many unforced passing errors. In light of this, improvements have been made to the game with a focus on game balance and satisfaction of controls.

We have generally increased the pass speed so that the pace of the game matches with the aforementioned defense-related improvements. Moreover, we have also implemented a mechanism that utilizes the rebound of the ball as a force of acceleration. This will be useful, for example, when performing one-touch passes, as the ball speed will increase due to this mechanism. The result of all these changes is a “rhythmic passing game”, which is an important element in modern-day soccer.

Regarding passing errors, we have deduced that they were caused by both the passer and the receiver’s actions during and after the pass was made. As such, we have implemented fixes to the following points:
– Improved targeting decisions for passes
– Improved AI decision-making when receiving passes
– Improved movements when receiving passes
Following these corrections, the occurrence of unnatural passing errors has decreased substantially.

On top of that, as a new element to make the passing game all the more enjoyable, we have added “Stunning Pass” commands that allow you to kick the ball with various special trajectories. With these commands, you can dictate the rhythm of attack and put in that decisive final pass.

Additional Shooting Trajectories for Enhanced Satisfaction

Regarding shooting, we have made specific improvements to the following 2 points:
– Improved shooting speed with a focus on realism and satisfaction
– Adjusted the rate of on-target shots to appropriately reflect match circumstances

Furthermore, we are adding to the game a wide range of shot variations and trajectories for each situation, such as the incisive “Stunning Shot”. We believe this can allow you to experience a variety of realistic goal-scoring scenes.

Strategic Evolution Through Improved Dribbling Functionality

In terms of dribbling maneuverability, we have made significant improvements to the following points to present a gratifying one-on-one experience through realistic motions. These include:
– Better ball tracking accuracy and response to L Stick inputs
– Improved response to Dash inputs

Other functional enhancements include improved response and ball behaviors for the new “Sharp Touch” command, as well as simpler feint inputs. We hope that these improvements create an enjoyable dueling experience against the opposing defenders.

Improved Online Connectivity

To improve the stability of online connections as well as to reduce the number of voided matches, we have decided to adopt a client-server system starting from this installment.
We are also constantly looking for ways to improve the response time of online matches.
To ensure the best soccer experience, we will continue monitoring the situation after the update and make improvements as needed.

Additional Features for Game Plan

We have implemented the following additional features and modifications to the Game Plan to bring back some beloved functionalities and fix some issues:
– Additional features such as “Formation Change”, “Individual Instructions”, “Auto Select”, “Sub-tactic”, “Data Management”, etc.
– Improved processing load for better responsiveness

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as we have implemented many other gameplay-related features and fixes. Please stay tuned, as we will be going through this “New Soccer Game” in detail when the coming update goes live!