#fsupdate

[footballsuperstars]

FS v18.99 is now live

We have just finished deploying the latest game-play update. v18.99 features several gameplay improvements based on feedback collected since v18.98. Continue reading for release notes.

v18.99 release notes:

Based on feedback, we have re-balanced tackling and ball control, improved how goalkeeper handles one on one situations (i.e. attempting to tackle the attacker), adjusted the strictness of the referee and tweaked the rate of yellow cards along with minor gameplay improvements.

[footballsuperstars]

FS v18.98 is now live

We have just deployed the latest game-play update to Pele server. v18.98 features several gameplay improvements. Continue reading for release highlights.

v18.98 release highlights:

Tackling has been re-balanced:

In previous versions, tackling had been overpowered against ball control and hardiness attributes, producing successful tackles most of the time regardless of the opponent's character attributes. We wanted to re-balance all that so that tackling would require more skill, a higher level of tackling attribute and essentially a better timing. On the other hand, we also wanted to award a successful tackle so we have tweaked how quickly a player can recover from a tackle (in previous versions a tackled player could almost instantly tackle back).

Goalkeeper AI improvements:

Building on the continuously improved keeper AI in 18.x cycle, we introduce new AI abilities in this version. During Golden League, we noticed a few issues with the keeper AI and decided that it needed a better awareness. Keeper, from this version, will handle one on one situations much better and he will come out and try to make a save (or catch the ball on ground) only when he is certain that no attacker can control the ball before he does.

Collisions and fouls

Based on feedback, we have noticed issues with collision system. Dynamic collisions at times created way too many collisions between players specifically when both teams played a compact style of football. In an effort to minimize unwanted collisions, we have re-worked the collision detection functions and from this version, you will (hopefully) see fewer collisions in matches and only severe collisions will be called a foul. We believe this will add to the fluidity of the game.

We hope that you'll enjoy these latest improvements and as always your feedback will be taken seriously and we will continue releasing regular updates.

[footballsuperstars]

FS v18.90 is live

Latest iteration of the 18.x cycle is now live. Football Superstars v18.90 builds on v18.x series and introduces latest gameplay improvements to FS core game-play. Read on for details. 

Thanks to all your valuable feedback, we have just deployed Football Superstars v18.90 to all live servers. We hope you enjoy the latest gameplay refinements.

Release notes:

Keeper AI related improvements and changes - Building on the previous iterations of 18.x cycle, goalkeeper's decision-making has been improved again. - If a player slides towards the keeper and contacts him, it will be called a foul and the player will most likely be booked for it. Derived Attributes: We use attributes or combination of them as factors in any sort of action on the pitch. - First Touch ability. The higher the ball control you have, the more likely that your character will be able to control hard passes/kicks with his foot. - Stamina level (relatively / compared to the player you collide with) will affect your recovery speed from tackles and player-player collisions. Set-piece pre-loading: As we have seen defenders having difficulty positioning during set-pieces and reacting to set-piece events, we have decided to introduce set-piece preloading. Now, players will be able to preload 3 seconds in advance during set-pieces. As the name speaks for itself, this will only be available during set-pieces. Other tweaks and changes - Space passes from corner kicks have been nerfed (accuracy wise). - Slide tackles have been tweaked. - Active Boost Skills get a boost. They will last longer and they will cost half the energy (compared to previous versions) to activate them. - Set piece takers: Upon feedback, closest player will take the direct/indirect kicks. (instead of the fouled player). This doesn't apply to penalties and does not conflict with PMC settings. - and as always, other minor game-play improvements and tweaks.

[footballsuperstars]

FS v18.60 is live

UL Season 4 league stage is coming to an end with two match-days left. PMC managers are feeling the tension as they look to secure a spot in Quarter Finals. Meanwhile, we have released FS gameplay v18.60.

Football Superstars version 18.51 brings a host of new features and improvements. Here are the highlights:

- Goalkeeper's decision making (passing, saves and clearances) has been improved. - Header accuracy has been reworked based on feedback. - A bug that caused wrong penalty calls for fouls near penalty area bounds/lines has been fixed. - Referee's yellow card calls have been tuned. - Match fitness bonus: Max value has been increased (from 20 to 22 in game units). We have also fixed a MFB bug that caused MFB to drop unexpectedly. (without any inactivity). - Various other game-play improvements and tweaks based on feedback collected during latest Masters League.

Minor Update: Football Superstars v18.53 is live as of April 19, 2018 Based on feedback, goalkeeper AI has been tuned.

Minor Update: Football Superstars v18.54 is live as of April 22, 2018 Based on feedback, referee and tackling has been tuned 

Update: Football Superstars v18.60 is live as of May 15, 2018

This version addresses referee decisions, goalkeeper AI and tackling issues based on recent feedback and features a host of other game-play improvements.

[footballsuperstars]

FS v18.25 is now live

Football Superstars version 18.25 is live as of Wednesday, Jan 10th. This update focuses on physical play and introduces several improvements over v18.01 and v18.05. Read on for details.

Physical play and football rule enhancements: Building upon the previously enhanced object collisions, we are now adding physical play and appropriate football rules. When a player collided with another player in FS, it usually resulted in bumping animations which never looked right. No foul was called under no circumstance and it had no effect on gameplay other than distractions and even exploits. From version 18.25 that we are releasing today, there will be physically more accurate player-player collisions and reactions. As a result the referee will decide if it is a foul.

Attackers will no longer have to suffer from bumping defenders. When a defender bumps into an attacker from behind, if the attacker loses the ball, it will be called a foul and depending on the severity of the foul, a yellow card will be shown to the offender.

Players will notice that they bump less into their team mates.

Tackling has been reworked. To aid the defenders, we have changed how tackling works. Even those with high latency (network latency), will be able to execute well-timed tackles.

Pace and movement rate has been overhauled based on feedback and re-assessment.

Smarter Goalkeeper: The improved goalkeeper AI will make better decisions while handling back-passes and while making clearances. The keeper will make better risk assessments than the last version and will make wiser decisions when he is clearing the ball. Keeper will do better parrying shots and try to push them away instead of parrying too many shots into his own net. He will also know when he should be more aggressive when the team needs him to be.

Keeper will not be invisible when he is holding the ball. In the past FS goalkeeper was untouchable while holding the ball. With a better collision system, careless attackers who run into the goalkeeper will cause a foul to be called and if they repeat it, they will be booked.

There are also other minor fixes and tweaks in several areas as we worked a lot after 18.01 thanks to your valuable feedback.

[footballsuperstars]

FS v18.05 is now live

We have released a minor update this morning to address a couple of issues reported by players. Below issues have been fixed - a long high kick into the box was triggering an unexpected goalkeeper action. - goalkeeper was not responsive against fast dribbling attackers.

[footballsuperstars]

FS v18.01 is now live

As of November 22, 2017, Football Superstars v18.01 is live. v18.01 brings a host of new game-play improvements. Read on for release highlights.

Football Superstars v18.01

Back-pass rule and related goalkeeper-AI improvements. The back-pass rule was implemented in FS from version 16.9 and has been continuously enhanced in following updates but it was never complete and it had some issues. We have overhauled the goalkeeper AI and the football rules. From version 18.01, goalkeepers will be able to decide if they should make a diving save when a bad back-pass is headed for goal (instead of leaving it as in previous versions) or if it's a risky situation to try to clear it. Once they catch/save the ball, the referee will call an indirect-free-kick.

Control your headers: You will be able to control header shots using an all intuitive control system. Targeting lower while shooting will produce downwards headers (as long as your player stats/attributes allow you produce accurate shots) . Aiming relatively higher will increase trajectory on that shot and enrich gameplay experience by offering players more freedom and control over headers.

Control your volleys: You will be able to control volley shots. Targeting lower while shooting will produce downwards volley/half-volley shots . Aiming relatively higher will increase trajectory on that shot and enrich gameplay experience by offering players more freedom and control over volley shots.

Accuracy: Based on feedback all accuracy systems have been reworked. Header passes/shots will be more accurate, meanwhile, lmb crossing and lmb kicks will need better timing and higher player attributes (kicking accuracy).

Low-level boost: Lower level players in low divisions (Div4, Div 3 and Div 2) with low attributes will see an overall boost. (especially the kicking power and stamina attributes)

Less predictable Goalkeeper Actions and Better Positioning Improved keeper positioning and more varied goalkeeper actions (saves, kicks, throws and ball collisions etc.)

Changes to Strafing Based on feedback we looked at strafe mechanics and redesigned them, specifically the collision detection. Now, when a player strafes and blocks/obstructs another player, the blocking/strafing player will lose stamina drastically.

Faster Ground/Air Kicks Based on feedback, ground & air kicks will be faster.

Long lasting stamina/energy Players will have more stamina/energy overall.

One of the master stadiums will be the default stadium for PMC 7-aside matches (replacing the Division 3 stadiums)

Road to Division 1

Lower division (Division 4,3 and 2) players will receive up to 3X more XP from matches and level up faster. This will allow more players into Division 1. Similarly, Division 1 players will see a 100% increase in XP gained from matches.

tons of other improvements and fixes

Special Thanks

Special thanks to the QA testing team: Caccamoo, Kasilva, Mikey, Razza, Wobbles, Zengo

Feedback

Your feedback is always valuable. We will open a thread on FS Forum early December.

Update:  A hotfix has just been deployed (around 12:30 GMT) to fix a problem with back-pass rule and wrong indirect kick calls related to them. We will continue monitoring matches and release fixes if any other issues arise.

[footballsuperstars]

Gameplay update v17.79

Football Superstars gameplay update v17.79 is live as of Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017. Read on for update notes and details.

FS v17.79

This version is scheduled to go live on Wednesday, May 3, 2017.

Release Highlights:

One on one scoring chances and goalkeeper reactions:

We have been working on goalkeeper's reactions for a long time. This time we focused on reactions particularly inside the penalty box. Our goal (once again) was to create a more realistic and life-like goalkeeper.

Thanks to feedback from players, we knew what had to be done this time. There were times attackers were extremely frustrated when they had a one-on-one scoring chance. They'd fail most of the time and this was mainly caused by the rather unrealistic and overpowered goalkeeper reactions. We have been working to address this problem and make goalkeeper reactions physically more accurate.

Basically speaking, this is what we have achieved: As the kicker gets closer to the goalkeeper, the gk will have less time to react to the shot (naturally). This will give you a greater chance of scoring (when you are closer), just like in real life football. In other words; when your team creates that perfect scoring opportunity, it will be rewarding!

We also worked on goalkeeper's overall aggressiveness and unpredictable behavior. This will help force attackers to re-consider their options every-time they have to make a decision (and not repeat the same action).

Header power, accuracy have also been reworked.

We also built upon the dynamic collisions and deflections improvements and applied them to header mechanics this time.  

We didn't forget about the defenders. They sent their own feedback and we have come up with some improvements that will hopefully please them too.

There are also other minor game-play improvements that we will let you discover on your own.

Once again, we hope that this update will enrich Football Superstars game-play and rest assured the game-play development is an ongoing process and we will return with more updates throughout the year.

* We have released a fine tuned version of this update on May 4, 2017. Enjoy the game!

Note: Give time to defenders and attackers to get used to the new gameplay. We are always testing and collecting feedback and will continue improving the game

Note 2: Big thanks to the QA team who helped shape and improve this gameplay update by thoroughly testing it before release: Mikey, Kasilva, Caccamoo, Wobbles, Zengo, Razza and our guest tester; Shinaz.