EA Sports was so committed to getting input delay and response time sorted out for online play in EA Sports FC 26 that it actually went to players’ houses to test the connections.
In a recent interview, senior producer Sam Rivera said that the developers worked with pro players and content creators to make sure they had everything they needed to solve the issue.
“We really needed to understand the root of the problem,” Rivera told IGN. “We worked with pro players, we gathered data from players all around the world to try to understand the issues, but we didn’t want to only listen to the feedback.
“We wanted to experience input delay ourselves. So we also traveled to Europe to meet with pro players at their eSports studios. We actually met with content creators at their homes, and we learned a lot.”
By taking these steps, Rivera said that the problem was caused by a variety of factors whether it be network connection, being wired or Wi-Fi, or even in-game animations.
“Sometimes we request actions in the game that are very difficult to perform,” he said. “So if there’s a very fast incoming ball and I want to go for a long pass backwards, that is very difficult, and sometimes there are no animations for that. So it is like in real life, very difficult to perform. It’s difficult for us to capture those animations.”
Rivera added, however, that the team added a number of new animations to the game to have “more coverage” for those instances. He also spoke on the EA Sports FC 26 animation system in general, calling it “one of the most complicated systems”. The system, he says, has “solve every request, every shot, every pass, considering what animations are available, where the opponents are, how the ball is moving, and all of that.”
While there are a number of improvements, it’s unlikely that input delay will ever be completely solved. There are too many factors to go into the cause. But Rivera says that the potential is there to make it the best it’s ever been.
“There’s a big opportunity there,” he said. “We have done a very good step in FC 26 to create a more responsive game.”
EA Sports FC launches on September 19 for those with the Deluxe Edition of the game. Those without will have to wait until September 26.
What do you think of the extra steps EA Sports took to address input delay and response time for FC 26? Let us know down below, and take the discussion further in the official Insider Gaming forums.
For more Insider Gaming, check out the first full look at Madden 26 gameplay ahead of the game’s launch. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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