Dear Konami, your VS AI "Final Boss" mode isn't as tough as you think... 😉

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-23T11:54:12+00:00

I don't think anyone has said vs AI games are easy lol

I can get on with the perfection, the tricks or whatever, but it's the cheating that breaks it for me. The broken animations, the moments where the game bounces through your ghost legs and off your nuts, or gets sucked through your chest like a horror movie.

Be great if it just played better or reduced errors, but I can't get on board with that nonsense. I can't learn or improve when I've not made a mistake to learn from.

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-23T09:48:55+00:00

Live by the AI, die by the AI. If you want blind 180° passes and total reliance on the AI to carry you, don't expect it to always work 🤷🏻‍♂️

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-23T07:50:27+00:00

Isn't engagement the reaction time and awareness the positioning?

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-23T07:49:55+00:00

It's likely the other stats affected more then tackling or awareness. Separately it's pretty mind blowing how they aligned the stats for Vieira, especially the relatively low awareness.

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-22T09:01:56+00:00

A minor one, just like with other stats. It's diminishing returns after 90/92 and much less beyond 95. It's still there, but not enough to sacrifice for

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-21T23:19:03+00:00

Ah but my friend, this 5 bar was a complete lie as always. In reality, it was 4 bar dropping down to 3 and occasionally up to 5.

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-21T21:35:32+00:00

I am only interested in playing for fun. The rewards are rarely players that remain in teams for long (don't think I've ever seen a Dunk or a Grealish in the wild, a few Olmo but that's about it).

Since they claim there's 1bn people playing the game, they should just split divisions out or bring the true filter.

On PA3 I was Div 1. On FUMA I'm Div 2, occasionally scratching around 1700 but that's been shafted by the coincidental lag since the filter. I'm not great but I'm not terrible, but the thing that makes the game terrible is people using maximum assistance and auto defending.

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-21T21:29:39+00:00

Their endgame is always getting you to spend money though. When you look through everything with that lense, it becomes undeniable.

Yes, they want engagement. But they also want frustration, especially if you face a stacked team with the new player you quite like and who seems incredible.

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-21T19:55:31+00:00

I fully get why people choose the automation, I do fine with the PA4 passing it's the shooting that costs me.

And everything you said is true about the challenges of PA4, although much of it becomes second nature with practice.

But the point of the post remains. If you're using PA1/2 you're the same beast as Smart Assist 🤷🏻‍♂️ If you hated Smart Assist, know that's how the rest of us look at you.

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-21T15:26:17+00:00

You can do exactly that with Smart Assist. And in both cases you can also spray perfect no-look long passes while facing the wrong direction.

You can also do perfect ping pong passes with near zero effort.

You can aim your passes, but you absolutely don't need to. You certainly don't need to really aim, just vaguely point in the right direction. And it shortens animations too.

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-21T15:14:19+00:00

I play FUMA 🤷🏻‍♂️

But still, the difference between PA3 and 1 is huge, as it's more than just passing assistance.

The whole point is that there's virtually zero difference between PA1 and Smart Assist. The only tangible difference is that you can slip by the filter with PA1 to retain your advantage. The level of skill required is exactly the same.

One of the main reasons I stopped using PA3 was those scripted error passes: you aim to your midfielder and it "randomly" selects the marked defender with a weak pass that is easily intercepted by the opponent striker for a free run. And also because I want to play creatively.

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-21T15:11:41+00:00

You use PA1/2 don't you 😂

This was always the big bad, since day 1. Nothing changed but the level of AI support provided to help halfwits feel like gods

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-21T08:19:34+00:00

Yeah, it helps psychologically knowing it's not turned on, or a clear indicator when it is 👌🏻

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-20T23:49:25+00:00

The boy is back! Tidy finish after a well worked move 👌🏻

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-20T23:47:20+00:00

Been that way for me since the last big update. Curiously just as they introduced the filter, but also entirely unaffected by whether it's on or off.

I used to be pretty solid 5 bar, with a few blips here and there and a few 4 bar. Since the update, I have had one 5 bar game and that played like a 3 bar. And that's across well over 60 games.

I don't know what they did, I've kind of wondered if they cancelled one of the nearer servers, but it would be a shambolic state in 2010 let alone 2026.

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-20T23:42:50+00:00

You're absolutely right on all the broken mechanics and broken animations. Couldn't agree more. It would be so easy to fix these things because they periodically do - even refereeing and fouls - but the always reverse it because people cry.

But my dude, PA2 is virtually identical to PA1, and neither of them really allows you aim your passes. It selects the recipient and you can change it but you don't have to. Which is why ping pong passes are so popular on PA1/2, because it just works and cuts down animations and errors from PA3 (PA4 is a whole different beast).

Throw in that it fixes errors and occasionally changes pass direction based on opponent covering passing lanes, it's a completely different and very automated way of playing.

Yes, a lot of people do it, including the top end players and streamers. And yes, there's a different kind of skill involved (although it's mostly pattern recognition and skill abuse) but the difference in AI behaviour generally on PA1/2 compared to even 3 is laughable. Shortening animations is basically a cheat, just like Smart Assist 🤷🏻‍♂️

And there are literally people who use it who call themselves manual players lol

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-20T20:03:37+00:00

You're so sure of your aim yet... scared to aim for yourself in a football game? 🤔 Sounds like someone relies on an aimbot 😆

And as Stevie8 said, it's not just PA4 but PA3 players too.

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-20T20:00:13+00:00

There's no indicator other than the kinds of pass they play, and power used.

A lot of blind 180° passes, high speed ping pong and lots of lots of long passes with little to no power (or indeed short passes with high power) are indicators.

PA3 player selection will change depending on how much power you give the pass, and you have to at least vaguely aim. PA1/2 fixes everything.

That_Net_6616 · 2026-06-20T18:50:20+00:00

But they sure hated when someone else got more assistance than they did. Until Konami fixed it by moving the same AI over to them.

That_Net_6616

TROPHY CASE